Diminished Light: Void's Assault
by Sailor Janus
Summary: Hikari knew she was missing something even before she started college. When her visions prove to be memories, a particular group of friends discover that not all is right in the world as they return to claim what was lost.
1. Decayed Fairytale

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 1  
Decayed Fairytale  
By  
Sailor Janus

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon and I don't particularly want the first created character you're going to meet. You will understand why as the story moves on.

Author's Notes: This story takes place several years in the future so if people seem a bit out of character, there is a reason, but whether they stay that way or not…. I won't say. The other Chosen Children will be featured as well, however they won't show up until a bit later on. But just remember, not everything is as it seems and everything happens for a reason. A lot is going on and has been going on than may first be perceived. I have taken a lot of thought into this story and I've pretty much let the characters do as they wish to the point that it writes itself. Half the time I end up stumbling into the next scene rather than plan it. I'm still trying to figure out why a certain character acts the way he does because lately (I already have several future chapters done) I've been left with my jaw hanging open wondering why. Let's see if you can figure out who it is.

Also, if you have previously read this chapter, it's still mostly the same. I have only changed the title and the summary because there is a lot more going on than expected. And taken out more of the dub references. (I can't believe I had both.) This is only part one of a multi-part series. The idea hit me a week ago and the plot is a rather interesting and unique one. (At least I have yet to see it featured in a Digimon fanfiction.)

* * *

The sun glowed brightly in the heavenly blue sky as snow fell gently to the ground. A small group of children were trampling around in it, laughing and smiling as they played. A small boy with short dark hair smiled pleasantly as he rolled a big ball of snow, forming it into a frosty head for the snowman. An older boy with chin length navy blue hair helped him put the head on then they smiled at their handiwork.

A few feet from them, a lavender haired girl was throwing balls of snow at a boy wearing goggles. Next to her was a blonde haired boy who was doing the same. The girl giggled as a snowball went splat against the spiky haired boy's face. The children's laughter ended as a stray ball thrown from the annoyed boy hit an innocent bystander, a girl with short brown hair who was too busy spinning in the snow to notice the fight until now. She stopped, looked at the group, and brushed the snow from her cheek. Then she bent down, molded a ball of her own and threw it, missing the children, but nailed the tree they were playing under. Unfortunately, the impact of the snowball against the tree trunk resulted in an icy blanket being dumped on top of them. The girl covered her face as she giggled at them and soon they too were rolling in the snow, laughing hysterically.

Yagami Hikari stared blankly at the dull, grainy colored carpet as the image of happy children left her mind. The fibers looked more gray in color rather than the brilliant gold it once was. She knew it should be vacuumed, but the twenty-one year old college student didn't have the drive to do it. So instead it would just have to remain dirty. She didn't have the drive to do much of anything lately. She leaned her head against the mattress, slumping further down on the floor. Her legs hurt, but she didn't care. Nitoni, her boyfriend, would be home any moment and knowing him, he'd say a brief greeting then would report to his laptop like usual, barely giving her the time of day.

_Whatever happened to fairytales and happy endings? Are they nothing but stories, myths, and legends?_ Brown eyes lifted at the sound of the front door opening. Heavily, she pushed herself to her feet and plastered a smiled on her face. A tall dark haired man two years her senior rushed in, his blue eyes momentarily hovering over her as she said hello and asked how his day was.

"Long." Was the short answer the chef gave his girlfriend of three years. He tossed his jacket on the floor and sighed. "I brought some food for you. It's in the kitchen." Without another word he turned and left for the bathroom to take his usual shower.

Hikari pursed her lips as he disappeared behind the door and dropped herself numbly on the bed. _It didn't used to be like this, did it? _She scowled trying to remember when everything had changed. He often told her he loved her, but the words felt so…. empty and soulless. She tugged lightly on a strand of mid length brown hair and closed her eyes. _He said we'd be forever, but why does he feel so far away?_

She knew she wasn't happy. Not like she used to be with such a carefree attitude and an undying love for the world she lived in. But now…. She didn't know anymore. There were days where she felt so lonely that she wanted to either cry or scream. She wanted to leave, but could she really? There was no actual place to go. The question still remained, how would Hargumi Nitoni react?

The young chef was normally cool and collected, but she knew he suffered from bouts of depression. She also knew he became suicidal after his ex-fiancé had dumped him several years ago. Would Hikari's leaving destroy him all over again? She knew he wasn't exactly strong; a hypochondriac at best, and that too much stress did have the tendency to push him over the edge. Hikari sighed in defeat and instead turned her focus to the dim, white ceiling, wishing she could see the bright blue sky and perhaps she would be saved.

As the days had gone by, she felt less like herself, and more like a character in a depressing soap opera. Like one of those women who were constantly in tears, which either ended one of two ways; someone rescuing her from her torment, or an option that made the brunette shuddered to contemplate. Tears stung her eyes as she realized what a huge mistake she had made. This wasn't love. It was hell. Isolation, torment, anguish. She had been betrayed by the one person she trusted the most. Whatever part of him she loved was gone now. What was left, was a stranger that hurt her with pure abandonment. Nitoni hardly ever spoke to her anymore, yet expected her to always be there, especially to complain to like she was his private talk box. She couldn't even remember the last time he had really kissed her. Lately, she felt more like a sister than a girlfriend. When did it go so horribly wrong and why?

Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. The only time she could actually eat was when he had brought food home from work. The refrigerator was very poorly stocked and mainly contained food that had long since expired. The jerk had made her practically dependent on him since whatever money she made went towards rent when he actually made twice the amount she did, but did he pick up the slack? No. She didn't even have a savings account anymore. At first it seemed like the bills were split evenly, but with some calculations after finding her boyfriend's pile of bills that he paid, Hikari discovered that she had been horribly deceived. He barely paid half the amount she did.

Some days when she was getting ready for work, her keys would mysteriously vanish and she'd have to frantically hunt for them as Nitoni would laugh and call her a "goofy scatterbrain." She had a deep suspicion now that he did it on purpose just so she would seem weaker than he was. Unfortunately, half the time it actually worked. He also ridiculed her when she said she was chilly, calling her cold-blooded. Maybe he had a strange sense of humor, but now it just felt like he was constantly insulting her.

_I can't do this anymore. I need to get out of here. _The young woman put on a determined face and climbed off the bed. She'd leave a note telling her boyfriend that she had to report to work early so he didn't interrogate her when she returned. She'd have to do some planning but….. Hikari froze and sunk back on the bed. Where could she go? There was no other home. She didn't have enough money to go back to her parents and she had no actual friends she could stay with. She was trapped. So completely trapped. All she wanted to do was escape, but she couldn't even do that.

"What's wrong with you?" A deep voice questioned.

"I have a headache," Hikari lied to Nitoni but knew he would likely buy it.

"Did you take something for it?"

"No."

"You should take something or you'll just end up whining about it all night."

Hikari glared at his back as he sat down at his computer. She couldn't even recall anyone who was more obsessed with the electronic device. "I'll be fine."

"Okay, suit yourself."

She glowered at the computer screen, knowing that he was hiding things from her. He had put her through such a roller coaster the past two years thanks to his confusion over who he really was. It had been only a few weeks ago that she had discovered that he was cheating on her. The mere thought of it sickened her beyond belief. During the whole time span, she was left alone while he socialized. Of course he always told her he loved her, but there was never any real meaning in the words. He might as well have been asking for the time.

The stress and feeling of rejection were enough to push Hikari over the edge. She wanted out, yet there was no place she could go. It was meaningless to stay especially when her live-in boyfriend probably thought of her more as a faithful pet than a girlfriend.

There had to be somewhere she could go. Any place would do. Hikari stood up and grabbed her backpack then shoved some clothes, a few things of value to her, a couple of books, and her purse inside. Then she approached the bathroom, and grabbed what she needed from there as well.

"Where are you going?"

"Someplace. I don't know where, but anywhere but here."

Nitoni spun around in his chair and gaped at her with wide blue eyes. His damp hair stuck to his head like a glossy black helmet. "What? Why? Are you coming back?"

Hikari shrugged zipping up her bag. "I don't know."

"But I love you. Please don't go." Nitoni's eyes flooded with tears as his voice wavered. He reached a hand out to her, but she resisted.

The young woman drew a breath and bit her lip hard. She tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear and finally said, "No you don't." She threw one strap of the black backpack over her shoulder.

"Yes, I do, Hikari! Please don't go!" The man now sounded hysterical and Hikari inwardly cursed.

She drew a deep breath and said gently, "I don't want to hurt you, but you have hurt me. Badly. You have lied to my face and abused my trust. You don't listen to me. I don't think I can ever trust you again. Please, don't make this any harder than it is, Nitoni. You may say you love me, but you're not in love with me." Hikari paused for a moment before she continued. "I just can't do this anymore and I want off this stupid roller coaster."

Nitoni immediately rose shakily to his feet and grabbed her wrist. "I'm sorry. Please don't go. I love you. I really do."

Tears welled up in Hikari's eyes as she fought against them, trying to will herself not to cry. Her lip trembled a bit as she stared into his pale blue eyes. "I. Can't. I don't hate you, but I can't be here anymore. It's too hard and you don't need me."

"No, I do too need you. I'm lost without you. Please?" He pleaded with her and she pondered for a moment why he insisted to cling to her when it didn't seem like he was in love with her anymore.

The brunette opened her mouth to speak when she was suddenly pulled into a warm embrace. Her mind however screamed against it and she shook her head, trying to push him away. "Let me go!" She helplessly shoved him backwards and saw that he was now crying. "Please… take care of yourself."

"Why should I? What's the point?" Nitoni threw himself on the bed and began to sob loudly like a temperamental child.

Hikari knew she had to stand her ground. She watched him for a moment and closed her eyes. "You need to be strong." She said quietly then left the room and grabbed her shoes, leaving her now ex-boyfriend to wallow in his own self-pity.

* * *

Hikari wandered aimlessly down the street. It was a slightly cool afternoon, but at least the sky was clear. However, she just couldn't figure out what to do next. She barely had any of her worldly possessions with her, not to mention where could she stay? _Perhaps I can find one of my classmates that wouldn't mind sharing their floor and a blanket with me for a while until I can actually save up enough to get an apartment on my own. Why did I have to agree to live with Nitoni anyway? I'm so stupid! I should have stayed at the dorms again like I did my first year of college. I was so blinded and now I'm paying the price by stumbling around like a lost kitten without a home to go to and no one to help me. _

She frowned as the last few moments in the apartment played over in her head again. He practically insisted that he loved her and yet….he had not shown it in a long time. It was like he was too co-dependant for his own good. It didn't necessarily matter if she was there or not as long as _he_ wasn't alone. Didn't Nitoni even realize that she was the one left in the dark, trapped in a corner with nowhere to go? She sighed and entered the local park.

The sounds of laughing children danced through the air like a slightly off key orchestra. Trees swayed in rhythm with the gentle breeze, tossing several blossoms to the lush green grass. There was something peaceful, yet familiar about it. Hikari found a vacant picnic table, and perched herself on top. She swung her long legs unconsciously, as they dangled over the fresh dirt.

In the back of her mind, she could see the close group of children again. Two of the boys played a vigorous one on one game of soccer. One was the boy with a pair of goggles on his head. He often smarted off to the tall one with longer hair, but it was easy to tell that they were both best friends. Even a little competition between them wasn't enough to dampen the relationship. The other children were gathered around a picnic table, talking and enjoying the food that the youngest member of the group's mother had made especially for them as they cheered on the two soccer players. The lavender haired girl blushed slightly as she yelled for the longer haired boy to steal the ball. It was evident that she had a crush on him. The blonde haired boy wearing a fisherman's hat cheered on the taller boy as well. However, the other girl, who radiated with a bright inner light yelled encouragingly to the spiky haired boy since there was no one else cheering for him. It was only fair after all for them both to be encouraged.

The goggle wearing boy however lost his concentration and slammed into the other boy, knocking them both down on the moist grass. The girl as well as the other children laughed loudly as the two boys laid still for a moment as if in a daze then they too started laughing as well.

Hikari blinked as the image faded then stared at her shoes pondering if perhaps it had been real. She groaned and sunk her face into her hands. Her head was starting to hurt. More than likely from all the stress she had been experiencing, not to mention the confusing images in her head. _What is wrong with me? Why do I keep seeing those children? It's like one of those reoccurring dreams only…oddly familiar. A boy with dark shoulder length hair, a girl wearing glasses, a younger looking boy, another one wearing a hat, a brown haired girl that I can never see her face, and that boy with the goggles. Who are they?_

"Hikari? Is that you?"

Her head snapped up and the young woman found herself staring into deep brown eyes studying her with curiosity. The man standing over her scratched his head and cocked it to the side as if contemplating something concerning her. Hikari blinked at him in confusion. "Excuse me?"

A grin lit up his tanned face and he threw his head back and laughed. "Oh wow, it is you! I can't believe you're actually here!" His eyes danced over her in merriment. Suddenly he threw his arms around her in a friendly hug.

The brown haired young woman however froze in pure shock over the fact that he was touching her. Once her senses kicked back in, she gasped and tried to push the strange guy away. "What are you doing? Get OFF ME!" She dug her fingernails into his arms, scratching fiercely as she kicked him then slammed her knee into his stomach. He groaned and immediately doubled over. Hikari scrambled over the tabletop and glared coldly at him, wondering who did he think he was trying to hug her.

The strange man sucked in a breath and gave her a pained expression. The pair of sunglasses, which were previously balanced on his head, slid halfway down his face. He swallowed thickly and tensed for a moment. "Uh, sorry, but I thought you remembered me. It's Motomiya Daisuke. Remember? We knew each other when we were kids." He chuckled lightly and put the dark blue-framed sunglasses back on his head then shrugged. "I guess maybe I changed a bit since we last saw each other."

Hikari's eyes flashed for a second, but she shook her head slowly. "Sorry, but I don't remember whoever you are. So please, just leave me alone."

Daisuke blinked in shock. He ran a hand through his reddish brown hair but smiled at her despite the stricken look on his face. "You are Yagami Hikari, right? Yagami Taichi's little sister?"

The young woman stared at him, but nodded. She looked hesitant, and though her instincts told her to run, she stayed. He didn't try to hurt her or do anything vulgar to her after all. She just had to stay alert incase he was a threat. "Are you one of my brother's friends then?"

"I guess you could say so, but I'm your friend too. We met when we were nine."

"I still don't remember you."

Daisuke paused for a moment and watched a child score a goal off in the field. He smiled at the cheerful boy then turned back to the confused young woman and tugged at his tan jacket in thought. "What about Ichijouji Ken? Or Inoe Miyako? Hida Iori? Hell, even Takaishi Takeru!"

"Sorry, but I don't know any of those people you are talking about." Hikari jumped down from the table and slowly backed away from the odd guy with spiky hair.

"You don't remember any of the Chosen Children!" He blurted out in disbelief.

"Chosen-what? You must be crazy or something because I don't even know what that is, or who you are talking about, or who you are for that matter, so please just leave me alone!"

"Hikari, wait!" Daisuke cried out, trying desperately to reach out to her, but instead the now frightened young woman turned and ran away from him with the speed of one with a large amount of adrenaline pumping through their veins was capable of.

* * *

Daisuke stared into his now lukewarm bowl of ramen completely lost in his thoughts over Hikari's reaction to him. _She acted as though she had never seen me before in her life. I haven't changed that much. Sure my hair is a little less crazy and shorter and I'm not wearing the goggles anymore since they broke. Stupid strap snapped and gave me a black eye… and maybe I'm a bit more mature, but I'm still the same Motomiya Daisuke, Chosen Child of Courage, Friendship, and Miracles. Okay, Miracles mainly since Taichi was first chosen for Courage and Yamato for Friendship, and so maybe I'm not a child anymore being that I'm now twenty-one, but that doesn't mean that she could completely forget who I am! _The noodles in his bowl continued to lay limp and untouched, forgotten in the cooling broth as the Chosen Child swam through the sea that was his thoughts.

He remembered the summer before they were supposed to go into their last year of high school that the Yagami family had moved. Mr. Yagami had found a better job that unfortunately transferred the entire family many miles away in Osaka. He and the others were sad to see them go, but wished them their best and promised to meet up again one day.

_That was Hikari. I know it. She looks older, but she's still Yagami Hikari, the Chosen Child of Light. _Daisuke frowned as he recalled her appearance. Her light brown hair now flowed down her back ending midway and beautifully framed her face. She was dressed in dark jeans that seemed well worn and had faded in places. She also had on a long-sleeved faded black shirt and dark sneakers. In fact, everything she wore appeared rather old. As pretty as she may have looked, there was something missing. Her eyes used to sparkle brightly and with a light that was soulful and trusting. But now…they seemed to have dimmed, like her spirit was dying or something. Instead they looked hollow, faded, and lifeless. It worried Daisuke more than the fact that she didn't remember him or the others.

"What happened to you, Hikari?" Daisuke leaned his face against his hand. He finally found her, but now…. she was different. She was practically his best friend after Ken and his parents had moved to Kyoto when they were fourteen. After that, it was Hikari that was usually by his side helping him study, or playing video games, he even tried to convince her to play soccer with him one day when they were both bored. He was almost in complete shock over the fact that she had agreed. But now…. he didn't know what to do. He was still surprised that he had found her. The fact that they were at the same park was even more amazing.

He was visiting Kyoto for summer vacation. It wasn't too far from where he was going to school and he needed a break from work so he decided to venture around and see what he could find. After a few hours he had neared the park, and stopped to watch the children play an exciting game of soccer. It was like revisiting his childhood all over again…. aside from the Digimon adventures of course. After a few minutes into the game, she had walked in and took a seat on the picnic table. At first he wasn't certain that it was Hikari, but he was determined to find out. After all, it had been nearly three years since he last saw her. The leader of the second group of Chosen Children could have died from joy over seeing her again. It felt like decades since he last saw her smiling face….only….she wasn't smiling. The emotions that flashed in her eyes stabbed into him like a dull knife. Pain, fear, confusion, sorrow, and even anger, swirled together in one ugly ball. More than anything he wanted to comfort her…. but she didn't remember him. There was no recognition in those eyes that could once light up an entire room.

Daisuke drew in a deep breath. He knew Hikari needed help whether she asked for it or not and as a leader of the Chosen Children he was going to do what he could to help her. Just remembering the look in her eyes was enough to send him to grave, but Daisuke refused to rest until he found Hikari again and saved her from whatever was causing her such pain.

* * *

_Who was he? Why did he act like he knew me?_ Hikari leaned against the cold, stone wall of her apartment complex. She had ran for several blocks and discovered that she had gone in a complete circle, winding up where she had fled the first time. There was some rather sick irony in her situation. No matter how hard she tried to escape, she just ended up right back where she started. It was like why should she even try anymore? She still had no place to go. _I guess I have no choice but to go back. It's just not fair. What did I do to deserve this? Why can't I find happiness for once?_

Hikari cursed to herself and with defeat in her brown eyes, she returned to the one place she loathed the most. The place she had to call home.

It had taken her only a matter of minutes to walk up the stairs. Each step she took, she felt a surge of dread. She had already said she was leaving. Just how was Nitoni going to react to her return? Hikari was about to turn around when the door opened and there stood Nitoni, staring at her in disbelief.

"I thought you were gone for good," he quietly said looking deeply into the young woman's eyes.

"I don't have anywhere to go," she softly admitted.

Nitoni stepped aside to allow her in the apartment then trailed after, shutting the door behind them. "But you still want to leave, don't you."

"Yes."

"Why? I said I love you. I really do. Why won't you give me a damn chance?" He threw his hands in the air and gave her a dejected look.

Hikari put her bag by the door and took her shoes off. "I gave you a chance for three years. That's how long I have tried, but I can't do this anymore. You need to understand that and as much as I don't want to hurt you, I can't live with you anymore." She ran a hand through her stringy hair and sighed. "I'll stay as long as I need to, but that's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

Nitoni nodded solemnly. "Whatever." He then brushed past her and went back into the bedroom.

"I knew he'd be like this," she muttered under her breath as she headed for the kitchen.

The next few days played out the same. Hikari was isolated at the apartment during the day, and still isolated whenever her boyfriend had arrived home before having to leave for the dreaded toy store where she worked as an evening cashier. She was swimming in depression so thick, that she knew she'd drown sooner or later. Any dreams she had seemed to have died long ago. _It would take a miracle to get me out of here._ Hikari looked glumly at the door as she curled up on the sofa and watched yet another boring cooking show on television that Nitoni insisted on watching. She studied her fingernails closely and pondered just how much force she'd have to use to claw through her wrist.

_You can't be seriously considering that?_ Her mind practically screamed at her. _Hikari, that's not the path you want to take. _The young woman however frowned. It seemed crazy that she was now arguing with herself. Hikari rested her head on the back of the sofa and sent an unnoticed glare towards Nitoni, who was too absorbed in the show to give her the slightest bit of attention. She clenched her left hand into a tight fist pressing her nails into her skin. She wanted the pain, and to see the blood ooze through her wounds that she already felt deep inside. Hikari already reverted to wearing long sleeved shirts so she could hide the scratch marks on her fragile flesh. Most weren't deep enough to cut, and others barely bled, but the evidence still existed. Luckily, because Nitoni said she was always cold, he never questioned her choice in attire. He never noticed anything as long as she was still in the apartment like a good little girl.

_No one cares so why should I? _She retorted to her mind the question, but there was no answer. She knew her parents and brother loved her, but they were too far away to help. Instead she had to fight her losing battles alone. Taichi of course would disapprove of her choices, but he wasn't there to help her. No one was. She was completely alone and there was no way out…. except maybe one.

Hikari rubbed her face and said a silent curse when her stomach rumbled. But like usual, Nitoni did not remove his gaze from the television screen. At this point, she refused anything from him, even if it was her only meal of the day. So far it's been seven days since she last ate, having only drank water. Hikari drew a breath and rose to her feet.

"Where are you going?" Nitoni looked up at her, his face now unreadable.

"Nowhere."

Rather than accept the simple answer however, he too stood up. "Don't you dare lie to me. You're planning on leaving again, aren't you?"

Hikari blinked. "And where exactly will I go? I don't have any money."

The man however snorted loudly. "Yeah, right. That's what you want me to think, but you're really going to leave me again."

_What's wrong with him?_ She took a step back as a sense a fear began to fill her. Something didn't feel right. Not at all. "Like I said before, I can't leave. I don't have anywhere to go…. I-I need to use the bathroom."

"You'll stay right there. We aren't finished yet."

Ice water seemed to flood Hikari's veins at the very words he had said. Her mouth ran dry and she took another step back as he brandished a shiny silver letter opener that resembled a small samurai sword and looked just as sharp. "What are you going to do? Nitoni!"

A sadistic smile covered his lips as he walked towards her. His once friendly eyes took on a dark tone. "Like I said before. I love you and need you and therefore can't live without you. If you can't accept that then I guess there is no purpose in my life anymore. If I can't live without you, then I'll just have to take you with me."

Hikari stepped away only to realize that she was now backed against the archway of the living room wall. The irony was really sick at that moment considering the fact that she had gone from practically suicidal to fearing for her life. "Nitoni, you can't be serious…."

He chuckled manically, taking his time to approach her. "We'll be just like Romeo and Juliet; happily ever after dead. Together for all of eternity."

"Please, don't do this…."

Nitoni shook his head and raised his arm to stab her in the chest. Hikari however moved at the last second, allowing the blade to only graze her arm, pinning her sleeve to the wall. The mad man tried to pull the letter opener from the wall, but it was stuck.

Meanwhile, Hikari bit back a scream and struggled to free herself, but the material of her shirt wouldn't give. Tears flooded her eyes, and her heart pounded intensely in her chest, fearing what would come next. She already felt dizzy and knew it would be a challenge to actually fight him off given the state she was in.

"Forget this," Nitoni growled and bodily shoved Hikari against the wall. Then he grabbed her by the throat and squeezed hard as she tried to yell.

Helplessly, Hikari dug her nails into his offending hands, gasping for air. She whimpered and sunk her fingernails further into his skin, trying to ignore the hazy feeling that was trying to overcome her. Finally, she mustered enough energy to knee him in the groin as hard as she could, followed by a solid punch to his face. Once his grip had been released, she pulled violently at her sleeve until it finally ripped.

"I'm sorry! Come back. Please? I'm sorry." Nitoni choked out, but Hikari ignored him as she scrambled to the bedroom, clutching her left arm, and locked the door behind her.

She cursed the fact that there was no phone and quickly pulled on a pair of shoes and a jacket. She grabbed her backpack from the closet, threw the window open and stepped onto the edge. At that moment the sound of panicked knocking shattered the silence of the room. Hikari gasped and quickly climbed out through the window and glanced down. "We just had to be on the stupid second floor. Damn it!"

"Hikari! What are you doing! Open up!" Nitoni was now slamming something against the door from the way it shook. Within a matter of minutes she knew he would end up breaking the thing down.

"I can do this, I can do this, I can do this," Hikari whispered to herself, gripping her bag tightly and jumped, landing in a large unkempt bush. She groaned as she looked up in a daze then remembered, exactly why she was in the bush to begin with.

Frantically, she scrambled to her feet and bolted away from the apartment as fast as she could, very grateful for the adrenaline that was rushing through her system like raging river rapids.

* * *

Author's Notes: This chapter turned out longer than I expected, but nothing could actually be cut. I'm also trying to stay out of the overused storylines or give them a fresh twist. More is yet to come.

Also, as you could tell, Nitoni is an OC. I didn't want any of the regular characters in his role because it simply wouldn't fit them. Oh, and I tried to make Nitoni as developed as possible. He'll be mentioned/seen on and off throughout the story as much as that sickens me. If you really want to know why, don't be afraid to ask. The guy is actually far from two-dimensional I just can't share all the information in the first chapter. Of course the main focus will be on Hikari…and a certain Chosen Child for a while. More is yet to come and don't forget to review.

SJ


	2. Forgotten World

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 2  
Forgotten World  
By  
Sailor Janus

The night sky bore down upon a small shopping plaza, whose many stores were beginning to close their doors for the evening. Several people clung to the outer edges of the sidewalk near the shops; talking, smoking and in short, loitering. Hikari slowed to a walk when she felt she had achieved enough distance between her and the apartment.

Her entire body ached thanks to her jump. She was surprised that the bush didn't do worse damage other than cuts and scratches. Her wound from the letter opener however was the worst pain of them all. Loss of blood plus lack of nutrition did not bode well to her survival. Her head was spinning and more than anything she wanted to vomit.

She was thankful that she had never unpacked her backpack from her previous escape attempt. That small thing may have saved her. Of course, that may have also been why Nitoni had snapped like he did. Since she never did unpack, he was suspecting her of leaving again. The young woman sighed, stumbling slightly as she stepped off a curb. Having a pair of shoes stashed by the bag also did wonders. Normally the shoes were lined up at the front door, but just like with her bag, she was prepared. Now if only she could do something about her cut and find someplace to stay.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Hikari pressed a hand to her forehead and winced as she realized she had probably scratched it on the sharp branches of the shrubbery. She was tired and knew that she couldn't walk forever. "Maybe I can see if Mai wouldn't mind me staying with her…. not that I actually know where she lives or anything…. damn it."

Her mind felt so cloudy that she swore she didn't know how much longer she could continue without falling over. A bitter laugh erupted from her throat as she thought about how pathetic she must look. Any passerby would probably suspect her of being drunk. Then again, that fact was no laughing matter. That suspicion was liable enough to get her hurt or killed. It was already after dark, and anyone with intelligence would know that wandering around the streets at night was not the smartest thing to do.

_So tired… I just want to stop and sleep… No. I can't do that. I have to keep going. Can't stop… can't sleep. Have to keep going. Have to keep going. Can't… _Hikari faltered mid-step and fell to the dirty sidewalk scraping her palms as she tried to catch herself. The young woman clenched her eyes shut, trying to block the tears that were threatening to seep out between her eyelids.

A picture of the same six children flooded her mind again. This time they were at a beach. It was a bright sunny day with a soft breeze. The girl wearing glasses was staring out in the distance at the taller boy she seemed to have a crush on who was trying to keep his balance on a surf board as he rode a fairly high wave. His chin length hair was matted down, several strands plastered to his face. The girl had a laptop on her lap and seemed to have been writing a message to someone. Near her, the smaller boy was constructing a rather impressive looking sand castle that looked like something out of a fairytale.

The blonde boy and the boy with the goggles were off to the side playing a rather competitive game of beach volleyball. The brown haired girl stood from afar, cheering them on and snapping pictures of everyone with her camera. She gasped when the tanned boy accidentally hit the other one in the face with the ball. Everyone paused for a minute wondering what was going to happen.

The blue-eyed blonde however narrowed his eyes as he grabbed a bottle of water and unscrewed the top. He then took a step closer to his opponent, said 'good game,' and splashed the icy water on him.

The boy with the goggles yelled in shock and snatched up his bottle, throwing the contents on the blonde. They both paused for a moment and burst out laughing, shivering slightly, but laughing nonetheless. The two boys looked at the group then at the brown haired girl and whispered something to each other. Still armed with the bottles half full of water, they charged towards the camera girl. She screamed and ran as fast as she could, losing her sandals as she went.

Unfortunately for her, the boys caught up in a matter of seconds. Before she knew it, she had an unpleasant icy sensation rolling down her neck and back. The girl shrieked loudly and started giggling helplessly as more water rushed down her face. She then whipped her head around like a dog, spraying them back with whatever water was not clinging to her hair. All three of them collapsed on the sand laughing uncontrollably.

Hikari groaned as she opened her eyes and blinked, realizing she was looking at cement. She frowned and sat back on her heels. _I must have blacked out. _She stood up and stumbled a few more steps until she found a small bench outside a restaurant. She sighed and practically fell on it as she sat down. The young woman drew a breath, pulled her knees to her chest, and buried her face in them. Her arm was still throbbing, but she didn't care anymore. All she cared about was staying as far away from Nitoni as humanly possible.

"Hey, Hikari. Are you okay?"

The young woman weakly lifted her head and wished she hadn't. Looking down at her was the same guy from the park. She immediately jumped up and began backing away from him. "Get away from me! Leave me alone, you stalker!"

"Take it easy. I just want to help you," Daisuke said, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Yeah, right." Hikari took a few more steps back and suddenly lost her footing. She started to fall backwards only to be caught by the wrist by the same strange man. She stilled for a moment then realized that he was touching her. "Get your hands off me," she snapped but lost most of her conviction as another dizzy spell took over.

The soccer player noticed her sway as if she was about to faint any moment and fought to maintain his grasp so she didn't hurt herself. "You're not okay. Just listen to me for a moment because I have to show you something."

Hikari pressed her free hand to her face feeling utterly ill. "Please…. Leave me be. Go away."

"I can't."

The young woman frowned at his words. There was a rather odd look in his brown eyes. Determination, Fear? She couldn't fully tell at this point. She felt like she was about to lose consciousness any moment. "Let me go."

Daisuke gave her a pitying look then reached in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He flipped it open and shoved it in Hikari's face. "This is what I've been wanting to show you. I don't know what has happened to you and your memories, but you can trust me. You used to after all."

A gasp escaped her raw throat as she stared at the photographs. They look rather old and a bit tattered but smiling up at her were the same six children she was having visions of. _But how could he have known? I never told anyone…_ She paused in mid-thought as her brown eyes fell upon the brunette girl with the camera. She blinked and gaped at the young girl. "It can't be…."

"That's you, Hikari." Daisuke simply said, pointing to the girl with the cheerful smile as she stood between the boy with the goggles and the blonde wearing a fisherman's hat. He then moved his finger to the boy to her left. "And that's me. I also have a picture of all of us with your brother too." He paused for a moment and flipped to the next picture. Sure enough Taichi was there along with her and the other children. It looked like they were at a park.

"But….how? I don't remember any of this."

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." He pulled her gently towards the bench so she wouldn't fall over and sat her down. "I'd be lying worse than the time I kicked a soccer ball through the science lab window at school if I told you that I wasn't worried about you. Hell, my ramen went cold because I was too busy thinking about the other day in the park and how you seemed to have forgotten everything." Daisuke gave her a silly grin, which perfectly resembled the one the boy in the goggles usually had on his face.

The young woman frowned and felt her head pulsing horribly. "But…" She groaned fell off to the side barely giving the Chosen Children leader enough time to catch her before she could hit the ground.

"HIKARI!" Daisuke was thankful he had been quick enough, sliding to his knees as he firmly held her by the waist. It was then, however, that he noticed the blood that had seeped through the thin gray jacket on her left arm. He frowned and sat her back on the bench, leaning her against him so he could slip the heavy backpack off her shoulders. "Hikari?" The soccer star shook her gently but she didn't respond. He checked her pulse and released a breath of relief to find that it was still steady.

_What the hell happened to her? _He pulled away and held her by the shoulders. His brown eyes narrowed at the small scratches on her pretty face and red marks on her neck, which made him silently curse. Her hair, which was usually shiny and healthy looking, now resembled straw at best. It was so stringy that it could probably be used as dental floss. She looked so thin and pale that he was afraid if he used too much pressure that she might break. At that moment, more than anything Daisuke wanted to kill something, but resisted. Hikari needed him now and blowing his temper would do neither of them any good.

Unfortunately, now that he had found her again and she could no longer run away, he had no idea what to do with her. He couldn't just leave her there. She was bleeding, and seemed to be really sick. Since he didn't know what was causing it, taking her to the police or the hospital wouldn't be a good idea because they'd ask questions and possibly take her back to wherever she was running from.

He was grateful that she still had her D3 and D-Terminal whether she realized it or not. Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to track her down as easily. He hadn't bothered to look at it the first time he ran into her, mainly because he wasn't expecting to see her. However after he had made up his mind to find her, he decided that the adjustments Koushiro had done on them made tracking a lot easier. Daisuke made a face at her backpack and realized that it was probably somewhere inside since she seemed to have forgotten about Digimon and their Digital World all together.

_Okay, she passed out, now what? Am I going to have to turn into Super Daisuke and whisk her away to safety like some cheesy super hero? Great. And me without my cape._ Daisuke heaved a sigh and swung her bag over his shoulders. He paused a moment to adjust the straps then carefully scooped Hikari into his arms. He glanced down at her in concern then headed off to find a cab. Hopefully they would buy the story of the girl just being really tired. He didn't feel like spending a night in jail for kidnapping. _Of course, unless she believed those pictures, that's exactly what might happen. Damn heroics. _

* * *

Fear ignited in the young woman's brown eyes and she stood paralyzed against a wall. Nitoni was slowly approaching her with a menacing look in his pale blue eyes. The room they were in was fairly dim, but the long jagged blade of the dagger he held glistened deadly against the little light that shone, illuminating the savage weapon.

Nitoni chuckled and ran his lips against the blade. "Kiss of death, darling."

Hikari fought to scream, move, do anything, but her body refused to respond. Instead she stared in disbelief as hot tears rushed from her eyes. Just as the blade was about to be forced into her body however, the wall evaporated and she fell through into a room filled with bright light.

Oddly enough when Hikari opened her eyes, she wasn't in a room but a park sitting next to the girl with glasses and lavender colored hair as warm streams of sunlight glowed down upon them. They were watching and cheering on the two boys playing a competitive game of soccer.

"Hikari?" The girl looked at her friend who was staring out into the field.

"Huh?" Hikari turned to face the girl but never received an answer as the soccer ball shot towards them and nailed Hikari in the face.

"HIKARI! HIKARI!"

"Hikari? Are you awake?"

She opened her eyes again and felt her face where the ball hit her, but there was no pain. She then looked at the boy sitting next to her and realized that it was her brother. He was wearing his goggles on his head again and looked much younger. "Yes." She glanced hesitantly around and saw what looked like a strange cat in her lap then noted that they were somewhere outside as if they were camping.

"Good. I just wanted to tell you that no matter what happens-" Taichi began but his voice was fading away. "And…."

"Taichi, I can't hear you," she said, but he never paused to repeat himself.

Suddenly Nitoni appeared from the shadows and Hikari scrambled to get away. "Taichi! RUN!" But it was too late. The man had already plunged the dagger into her brother's back before the boy had a chance to move. Blood drizzled off the blade like thick water as he pulled it out of the boy who fell lifeless to the ground. Hikari tried to scream but her voice was once again useless.

A horrified gasp erupted from her throat as she lifted her head and realized that she was now at school. Everyone in the classroom was staring at her with confused or amused expressions on their faces including the boy with the goggles and the blonde. Hikari blushed and rubbed her face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

The teacher narrowed his eyes sternly at her. "I had better expectations of you, Miss Yagami. Sleeping in class is something I would expect out of Motomiya. Not you. Detention."

"Hey!" The boy with the goggles made a face as if insulted but fell silent when the teacher gave him an annoyed look.

Once the teacher had departed for the blackboard, the boy gave Hikari a reassuring look and mouthed that he has detention too.

Hikari squirmed in her seat afraid of how her parents would react to the slip of paper they were going to have to sign. She knew brother had had several detentions throughout his years. In fact he was still getting them, but still, just like the teacher, they too had better expectations of her. She sighed drearily before nodding off once again.

This time she was running for what felt like her life. From what? She wasn't sure and deep down didn't want to know. Somehow she had ended up on a roof of a strange building. She cursed silently, but knew she didn't have much of a choice so she jumped, praying she would land on the roof of the building adjacent to the one she was on. Unfortunately, she didn't completely make it and instead found herself clinging to the edge.

Just as she managed to pull herself up, someone stabbed her left hand with a knife. She cried out in pain and glanced up to find herself face to face with Nitoni. He pulled the blade out then stomped on the fingers of her other hand, forcing her to let go. Hikari screamed all the way down as she fell.

A shriek exploded from Hikari's throat as she thrashed in fear. The sound of frantic footsteps forced her to sit upright. She panted clutching her chest, feeling a thick stream of sweat roll down her back. Just then someone shouted her name as they raced for her.

"Hikari! Are you okay?" Daisuke looked at her in concern rushing to her side.

The young woman's eyes flew open and she screamed again. "GET AWAY FROM ME! HELLLP-" Her cry was silenced however as the man clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Wow, you're soaked." He shook his head and looked apologetically at her. "Never mind. Hikari, I know you still don't remember me, but I want to help you and I swear to you, I won't hurt you. And I know it might be a lot to ask, but trust me."

Hikari however clawed at his hand in an attempt to remove it, but even when she drew blood, he wouldn't budge. Tears suddenly rushed from her brown eyes as she began to panic.

Daisuke cursed then gently brushed the tears from her face. "You know I hate it when you cry, especially when I'm the reason you're crying. It's like the time I accidentally hit you with the soccer ball and knocked you off the table you were sitting on at the park. You wouldn't believe how bad I felt about that." He gave her a half smile then handed her a vase of pink, purple, and blue flowers that was sitting on the bedside table. She gave him an odd look as if asking what they were for. "To help you get better. Listen, if I take my hand away do you promise not to scream? I know you're probably scared of me, but you had fainted and I couldn't just leave you there where you would have gotten seriously hurt or even killed. If you don't believe me, look at your arm."

The frightened woman blinked and glanced at her left arm. Her sleeve seemed to have been cut away and the wound from the letter opener was now bandaged with thick gauze and tape. She frowned at Daisuke in disbelief and handed the flowers back to him.

"Sorry about your shirt but I'll cut the other sleeve off if you want too that way they'll match."

Hikari solemnly gazed down at the colorful pastel blanket in shades of blue, green, cream, peach, and gold covering her lap. Everything was now so confusing that she couldn't tell what was what anymore. There she was with some crazy guy who insisted that he knew her when they were kids. All of this because her ex-boyfriend tried to kill her. Fate really had some interesting ways to give her a headache. _What choice do I have anymore? Although I have to admit, the look in his eyes is completely different from Nitoni's. Damn it. Why did my life have to get turned completely upside down?_ She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed realizing that the man did have a point. If he wanted to kill her, he would have done it already. With that thought in mind she turned her focus to him and finally nodded.

"Good." Slowly Daisuke removed his hand and watched her carefully just in case she decided to bolt for the door or something. He pulled up a chair, facing the back of it to the bed and sat on it leaning his arms over the back. He studied her face for a moment then spoke again. "That must have been one hell of a nightmare. I was afraid the neighbors were going to send the police. You thrash really badly in your sleep."

Hikari however said nothing and instead stared at her hands. Tears flooded her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Daisuke tried to reach out to her but she jerked away and snapped at him. "Don't touch me!" She stared at him as her respiration increased, widening her eyes in terror.

"Okay, sorry," the athlete said sheepishly and rested his hand on the back of the chair again.

The silent tears soon turned into heart wrenching sobs as Hikari buried her face in her hands. Once again she felt trapped and like a prisoner. Only this time, instead of being with her homicidal ex, she was now with some insane stranger who insisted that he knew her and even has pictures of her as a kid. She felt so sick and her head was spinning so badly that she just wanted to curl up and die.

"Here. This might help."

She sniffled loudly and looked up at the young man only to discover that he was trying to give her a bottle of water. She wiped her eyes and hiccupped slightly but shook her head at him.

"Don't be stubborn or you'll just get dehydrated. Then you're going to feel dizzy again."

"I don't care. I already feel dizzy."

Daisuke snorted. "With your injury, I don't doubt it."

Hikari glared at him. "I didn't exactly plan on being stabbed today WITH A DAMN LETTER OPENER!"

"You were WHAT?" The young man gaped at her in horror.

"Shit. Just forget it." Hikari crossed her arms and turned her head away from him. She had quite enough of the interrogations and such. Now she actually wished that she hadn't moved when Nitoni tried to kill her_. Damn reflexes_.

Daisuke rose to his feet with an unidentifiable look on his face, as if he were trying to hold something back. He set the water on the table and without a single word went in the bathroom, closing the door quickly behind him. "SON OF A…. ARGH!" His voice rang out as the sound of something being slammed, possibly a fist into a wall, followed.

* * *

Hikari's angry words repeated in Daisuke's head as he glowered at his throbbing hand. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself, but it was doing little of any good. He sank down to the floor and leaned his back against the beige bathroom wall, focusing his gaze on the small white sink. _I should have been there. I should have frigging been there to help her. _

His breathing slowed gradually and he hoped he didn't scare her with his outburst, but he couldn't hold his fury back any longer. She had been stabbed, was covered in cuts and scratches, looking pretty much like death warmed over. How exactly was he supposed to feel? Giddy? Now all he wanted to do was find whoever hurt Hikari and tear them limb from limb then toast marshmallows over the burning corpse. _Nah, might give the marshmallows a really nasty flavor. And I wouldn't want to feed it to any animals since they might end up with a bad case of indigestion._

Once he had a dark chuckle out of that idea, the Bearer of Miracles then reflected back to the other Chosen Children. He wondered how they would react to Hikari's current state, especially her brother. _Crap. Taichi would explode if he knew that someone had tried to kill his sister. Maybe I should wait awhile before sharing the news with him._ Daisuke swallowed thickly at a mental image of the Bearer of Courage losing his head…. then of him going full out assassin mode complete with a samurai sword, katana, machine guns, rifles, and explosives looking like something out of a bad action flick. Just picturing it was enough to make one quiver in fear. _Definitely NOT telling Taichi yet. Not until I figure out what has happened to Hikari._

He looked down at the back of his right hand and laughed lightly at the claw marks. "I'd say Tailmon has been giving her tips if I didn't already know that she has forgotten about the Digital World." Feeling better, he climbed to his feet and turned on the sink to clean his hands. Just thinking about her Digimon was enough to sober him. With thoughts back to his own partner, V-mon, he realized that the cat digimon was probably still in the Digital World. In fact, when was the last time he heard from the little blue guy? He'd have to worry about whatever was going on in the Digital World later. Right now, the Chosen of Light was his main concern. _Hikari swears? What strange, alternate universe have I stumbled into and when can I go back home? Ugh, I'm getting off track again. Still, it's so surreal to hear her curse when she used to lecture me on using swear words worse than my own mother!_

Daisuke froze for a moment as something flashed in his eyes. He shook his head then dried his hands and stepped out into the main room of the pastel toned motel room.

The soccer player peered down at Hikari who was once again sound asleep in the bed. His eyes glistened as he approached her sleeping form and gazed down at her peaceful face. Despite the cuts and scratches, he thought she still looked beautiful and probably always will. At that moment he felt like he was about to cry. He could tell that she had been through a lot, probably more than he realized and definitely more than she deserved. She was different from the way she used to be. Her light seemed like it was fading into nonexistence. That mere thought hurt him the most. He wanted to see her warm and friendly smile again.

He knew it was going to be difficult, especially to help Hikari trust him and find her memories again, but no matter what, he would do all he could to help her. He swore he would see her smile once again. Until then, he would simply be her best friend because right now, it seemed like she could use all the friends she could get.

The Chosen of Miracles placed a hand softly on hers and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. "Don't be afraid, Hikari. I'll protect you this time. I promise." He brushed a few strands of hair from her face then moved to the corner of the room near the television set and took a seat on his blankets.

_I should try contacting the others and see if they have any idea what the hell is going on. If they have also forgotten me, and the Digital World I think I might die of a heart attack. _With that thought in mind he pulled out his laptop and started typing.

* * *

Author's Notes: I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. I have put a lot of thought into this and it's going to be more than likely a lot more complex than it seems as the tension continues building. 


	3. Between Trust and Fear

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 3  
Between Trust and Fear  
By  
Sailor Janus

A gentle breeze pushed a young Hikari as she sat on a swing watching her older brother play soccer. She giggled when he tripped and stumbled to the grass. He lifted his head and stuck his tongue out at her playfully. She replied by doing the same then they laughed joyfully together.

Suddenly the sky darkened as the wind picked up. Taichi narrowed his brown eyes in both fear and confusion. Hikari gasped and blew her whistle, calling for her brother as the same feeling of foreboding filled the child.

"Hikari!" The young boy ran towards her, but the ground began to shake and suddenly she was no longer on the swing but instead was falling.

The next thing she knew she was walking through thick snow and seemed to be a few years older. The wind once again was strong and she fought against it to keep herself upright. The malicious blizzard threatened to knock her over despite her resistance. The girl knew she had to continue onward, or she may not be able to see tomorrow.

However as she took one more step, she sunk down into the thick snow and found herself plunged into frigid ice water. Hikari tried to scream, but choked on the water instead. She reached urgently for anything to grab a hold of, but only found more ice and snow as she sunk deeper into the water.

Hikari slowly opened her eyes and blinked. She was no longer in arctic waters but in a warm bed as a beam of sunlight lazily drifted closer to the wall behind her. She groaned lightly and rubbed her eyes. Confusion washed over her as she glanced around the unfamiliar room. The walls had a pale yellowish tinge. Sand colored drapes trimmed in light green partially covered the windows where a small table and two chairs were stationed. A television was along the wall adjacent to the door, and crumpled in front of it was a beige blanket, and a starchy white pillow. Her head throbbed lightly, but she ignored it as she sat up and nearly screamed as her eyes fell upon the strange man opening a brown paper bag at a table on the far side of the room.

The man turned and grinned at her. He paused and scratched the back of his head as if he were nervous about something then cleared his throat as he lifted a paper cup. "Um, would you like something for breakfast? You were still asleep and there's this great little American style café just across the street so I got some donuts and coffee. I hope you still like them."

The young woman's jaw dropped as she stared at him blankly. After a moment she regained her composure and pushed a handful of hair from her face. "I-I'm not hungry. Thank you."

Daisuke sighed and refocused his gaze on the floor. "Somehow I had a feeling you'd say that." He mumbled something under his breath as shadows appeared briefly in his darkening eyes. He closed them then glanced back at Hikari again. "You need to eat something. Or you'll get sick."

Hikari looked away and instead studied the drab, pale blue sea in one of the paintings on the wall. "I don't care," she murmured, tightening her grip on the colorful bedding. Her throat was sore, her limbs stiff, and her stomach grumbled like a savage animal, but none of that mattered. She'd sooner fade from existence than remain in a world that only seemed to intend on hurting her.

"But I do." The Chosen Children leader paused for a moment before he continued. "And so does your brother Taichi, and your parents, and your other friends. We all care, Hikari."

Hot tears flooded her eyes as she gritted her teeth. "Stop talking to me like you know me. You don't know me at all. So please, just leave me be."

"Hikari-"

"SHUT UP!" The infuriated young woman tried to rise from the bed, but was overcome by a dizzy spell. She narrowed her eyes as Daisuke tried to approach her and slid out of the bed from the opposite side, leaving the bed as a barrier between them. "Shut up. Shut up. SHUT. UP!" More than anything Hikari wanted something to throw at the man that seemed to have turned her world upside down, but nothing was within her grasp. Instead she leaned her hands against the bed and glared daggers at him.

"Hikari…I don't know what has happened to you, but damn it, listen to me. I was one of your friends in Odaiba before your family moved during our last year of high school. I have helped you countless times and we trusted each other. Please understand when I say that I would never EVER hurt you."

"Stop it." Hikari covered her face with one of her hands as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I don't need help. I'm fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. FINE!" She lost her balance and collapsed onto the floor on her butt.

Daisuke tried to take a step towards her, but she yelled at him to stop. Instead he helplessly watched her curl up into a tight ball and sob. He cursed to the ceiling and sank down in a chair, pulling his knees to his chest and buried his face in them. All he could hear were Hikari's heart-wrenching sobs. In an after thought however the soccer star lifted his head and pulled out a small white bag from the larger brown one. He stood up and walked over to Hikari's crying form and placed the bag next to her then returned to the table for breakfast.

It only took a few minutes before Hikari's curiosity had gotten the better of her. She lifted her head to look at the white bag with her name and a starburst like symbol in pink scribbled on it. She frowned at it for a moment wondering what the strange guy was trying to give her as she wiped her tear-streaked face. _If it's food, I'm going to throwing it at him._ She hesitated then opened the bag and peered down inside it. A gasp escaped her throat and she reached inside pulling out a stuffed animal of a white cat with large friendly looking blue eyes. The snowy fur was soft to the touch. Hikari brushed her fingers against it as more tears slid down her warm cheeks. The cat was barely two handfuls but it was adorable nonetheless.

"I thought it might cheer you up and give you a bit of comfort."

Hikari turned to look at Daisuke who continued to watch her. She bit her lip and gave him a small smile. "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to. If you don't want it, then I'll just give it to a children's shelter. The choice is yours as is some of this food," he replied, gesturing to the steaming cup of coffee and assorted pastries. "I didn't know what to get you so I got some of everything."

The young woman turned her attention back to the white cat. For some reason, she couldn't help but smile at it. _He seems nice… but so did Nitoni…although, Nitoni hated cats._ A chill ran down her spine as she thought of her ex. She quickly dropped the stuffed animal and backed away to the far wall.

Daisuke noticed the immediate change and turned towards her. "I really do want to help you, Hikari. I'll take you anywhere you want to go. Home, your parents. I'll even try to take you to where your brother is or get you a cab and pay for the fare. Just listen when I say I won't harm you. I could never hurt you."

Hikari's eyes flickered and hardened at the one who said he could never harm her. "You could never hurt me? Why is it that is the one phrase that always breaks first? 'I could never hurt you. You can trust me. I'll always love you.' Lies, nothing but lies." She paused a moment feeling partially better to use someone for a verbal pincushion. "If everyone cares so much, then where were they when I needed help the most? Everyone is so absorbed in their own lives that they don't even realize what is going on around them. They don't see the scars, the death, the disease, the hate, the pain, nothing. I'm just an insignificant nothing."

"We've tried to find you, Hikari. All of us, but you just disappeared! Even Taichi and your parents didn't know where to find you. It was like you dropped off the face of the Earth or something."

"I've been right here in misery!"

"You never responded to our emails or letters or anything! Damn it. Listen to me. Something happened to your memories. Aren't those pictures I showed you enough?"

"They're lies!"

Daisuke slammed his fist on the table, startling the upset young woman. "Fine, we'll do it this way. Your favorite color was pink. I don't know what it is now. Your brother's favorite sport was and still is soccer. Your parents last I heard are still together and you and Taichi are their only two kids. Your favorite animal is a cat. You used to wear a whistle around your neck to communicate when you were little. When you got older, you took up photography and brought your digital camera everywhere you went. You did well in school. In fact you helped me with my grades. You also had a cat named Miko. You used to share a room with your brother and slept on bunk beds. You had the bottom bunk. You nearly died from pneumonia when you were five." He took a breath mid-ramble before continuing on. "Am I getting any closer to proving that I know you? You used to get sick often. In fact, you wouldn't tell Taichi that you felt ill just so he could be happy doing whatever it was he was doing. You often worried about disappointing him. When you had nearly died, your were afraid he was angry with you for getting him in trouble."

Hikari gaped at the aggravated soccer player. Her eyes widened as she replayed several facts he spoke of over in her head. _How could he know? How could he possibly know? It doesn't makes any sense… _She sat in silence for a moment unsure of whether to believe him or not. However, one thing was troubling her. The fact that he knew exactly how she felt about her brother and her fear of his disapproval were not something that she had shared with just anyone, in fact she couldn't remember confiding that secret to anyone at all. She didn't like making a big deal out of things, especially if they concerned her. As long as everyone was happy, she would be happy. At least that's the way things used to be. Now she wasn't so sure.

"You told me about your fears concerning your brother when we were sixteen before he went away to college," Daisuke gently explained. "It was during the going away party."

"I…I don't remember." Hikari dropped her gaze down to the stuffed cat. She wanted to pick it up and hug it tightly in her arms as her tears saturated the pristine white fur as if it could comfort her, but resisted. Her eyes glistened as fresh tears formed. "What is wrong with me? I can't remember anything outside of my last year of high school." She hid her face in her hands and gritted her teeth. Why was she the one that had to have their memories pretty much erased? _What if he is telling the truth? Then what do I do? I can't go back home. I no longer have a home. Why am I being punished so?_

"I meant what I said earlier about wanting to help you. Hell, if it weren't for you, I'd probably still be in Odaiba working at some convenience store bagging cans of cat and dog food for little, old, senile ladies who keep calling me ma'am and try to fix me up with their neighbor's pet goat. Instead I'm in college on a soccer scholarship and I owe it all to you." He gave her a grateful smile and ran a hand through his spiky hair. "You tutored me and helped me study when anyone that usually tried, gave up. But you insisted that I had the brainpower to do the work. 'If you can save two worlds then algebra shouldn't be such a sweat,' I believe were your words."

Hikari looked at Daisuke and as she studied his face, his friendly yet intense brown eyes and the playful smirk on his lips, she discovered that perhaps he was telling the truth. After all, if he wanted to hurt her, he would have already done so instead of bringing her food, tending to her wounds, and giving her gifts. A serial killer wouldn't go to such extreme measures. At least, she didn't think one would. Before she was able to say a single word, a high-pitched chime sounded in the room.

Daisuke smacked his forehead and rose from his chair, tripping over a pillow as he approached his laptop. "Sorry, I didn't realize that I had it turned up so loud," he said sheepishly. He peered down at the screen and a grin immediately lit up his face. "Ken! He actually responded. This is great."

"Who's Ken?"

"Huh?" The Chosen of Miracles looked at the young woman with a dumbfounded expression before he recalled in his moment of happiness, that she still didn't remember them despite knowing her memories were gone. He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head. "He's a friend; one of yours too in fact. He used to be my best friend until he moved to Kyoto when we were fourteen. Well, he's still my best friend, just in long distance terms. Lately he's been with Miyako. They got together in college."

"Miyako? Is she another one of uh, _our_ friends?"

"Yeah, she liked you more than me, but we all usually stuck together through thick and thin." Daisuke opened the email and read it in silence.

* * *

**Daisuke,**

**I don't really know what to tell you concerning Hikari's condition. I haven't heard of a Chosen Child losing their memories of being a Chosen. It's rather peculiar considering no one else has lost their memories. Maybe we should try contacting Gennai. He may have an idea as to what is going on. In the meantime, it may be best to not let Hikari out of your sight since someone may have tried to kill her. The marks on her neck you mentioned may have been from an attempt to strangle her. **

**Miyako also agrees that you should stick with her. She threatens to 'kick your ass to the moon' as she so delicately says, if you let anyone else hurt Hikari. From the tone of her voice, she is dead serious. **

**I'll try contacting Iori and Takeru to see if they have any idea on what may have happened to Hikari. Please keep us updated and if anything else, we can always arrange a date to meet up. Perhaps a visit to the Digital World will fix this. I don't know.**

**Good Luck,**

**Ken**

* * *

"Great. Ken has no clue either and Miyako is threatening to use me to make a field goal into outer space if anyone else hurts you," Daisuke grumbled as he closed out the email.

Hikari blinked. "She'd beat you up? But why?"

"Like I said, she likes you better." He paused a moment and spun around as if realization had just hit him head on. "Do you want to see who I am talking about?"

"I guess," the young woman hesitated before she stood up and walked over to Daisuke as he fished his wallet out of his back pocket.

He flipped it open and pointed to the lavender haired girl and the dark haired boy with shoulder length hair pulled back in a ponytail. They appeared to be in their teens and were dressed in formal wear along with everyone else in the picture. "This is Inoe Miyako and her boyfriend, Ichijouchi Ken. They've been together for about three years. I was kind of surprised he fell for her, but then again she's pretty intellectual too…. not that that's the most important thing or anything."

Hikari looked at the couple in the picture and then drifted her gaze to the others dressed in formal wear. She noted she was also in the picture wearing in a sapphire blue dress and she was standing next to a boy that looked like Daisuke and a blonde haired one who resembled an older version of the boy who wore a fisherman's hat. Her brother was there as well as some other people she couldn't recognize. Everyone looked happy and a bit uncomfortable in his or her stiff formal clothes. The young woman bit her lip then dropped to the floor with a sigh. "Why can't I remember anything? I'm in these pictures but I can't remember anything about them. What I felt. What I was doing before the picture was taken or after or even the people I was standing with or talking to or anything!"

Daisuke kneeled down on the floor in front of her. "You'll remember again. We just need to figure out how. Did you bump your head in the last few years or fall down a flight of stairs, or were abducted by any strange green creatures?"

"No, I just don't remember anything."

"We'll look for answers. There has to be a way to bring your memories back and we'll find it no matter what it takes. You can count on it."

Hikari wiped her eyes and gave him a tiny nod though she was still unsure what to really believe. In the meantime, she'd just have to go with the flow and maybe she would get out of the whole situation alive. "I still don't really trust you, but I can't go back." She shivered and clenched one of her hands into a sturdy fist.

Daisuke nodded back in acceptance. "Food?" He gave her a mischievous yet friendly grin.

"I'm not-" she began to protest but her stomach's grumble stopped her mid-sentence. The young woman pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.

"You're not hungry? I think your stomach says otherwise."

"You don't understand. I don't want to be a charity case."

"And you don't understand. I only want to be your friend." The soccer player looked at her in concern. "Just how long have you gone without eating anyway?"

Hikari's jaw dropped and she folded her arms over her chest. "That is none of your business!"

Daisuke nodded in understanding. His brown eyes softened and he stilled for a moment. "So, you really haven't been eating…"

"You tricked me!"

"Last time I saw you, you didn't have an eating disorder, Hikari."

"Well, maybe I didn't feel I was better off dead back then!" Hikari froze, realizing just what she had blurted out. One glance at the man who seemed to want to help her said it all. His face was stark white and his eyes wide and dark, lost in complete horror. The young woman cringed and immediately covered her face. "I didn't mean to say that."

The leader of the Chosen took a moment to recover before he chose to respond. "So, I guess those scratches on your arms were your doing too, huh." He choked on his words as he tried to continue to speak. "Did you try to hang yourself too? Maybe you weren't attacked after all and you stabbed yourself with a letter opener. Damn it, Hikari! Just what the hell happened to you?"

The young woman's hand automatically flew and crackled like a whip against Daisuke's cheek. She glared hotly at him as he gazed back at her, his emotions masked by the shadows in his eyes. "I didn't try to stab myself, you asshole. Or hang myself. My currently ex-boyfriend tried to kill me." Hikari pulled her knees to her chest as a barrier of protection. Too many words had been said and like a broken dam, every secret she had been hiding was flowing out at a rapid pace, threatening to take her under as well. "I don't know how everything happened, but it all went horribly wrong."

Daisuke stared at her, ignoring his stinging face, and clenched his hands into fists. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Just leave me alone."

He released a breath and stood up. "You should try to eat something. Since you said this great guy tried to destroy you, allowing him to continue to do so by not eating and wallowing in misery only lets him win. I doubt that's what you want at this point."

Hikari remained in her position, refusing to budge as more salty tears saturated her jeans. She only lifted her head slightly when Daisuke put the stuffed cat, a cup of coffee, and a small bag of what she imaged to contain donuts next to her.

"They're right there if you change your mind," he softly said then returned to his laptop. Another chime alerted him of a new email. He scowled slightly contemplating who could be contacting him at a time like this, but if they had the much needed answers to his dilemma, more the better.

He plopped down on the floor, sat the slim black computer on his lap, and quickly opened the email. This time it was from Takeru. "Hmm, Ken works fast," the Bearer of Miracles mumbled as he read the letter.

* * *

**Daisuke,**

**I just received Ken's message on Hikari and I hope you two are all right. I'd have to agree with Ken on someone trying to murder her. She may not be in the best mindset because of whatever happened. Another possibility of her missing memories could be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At least I think that's what it's called. When a person is involved in or even witnesses a horrific event, the brain can shut down because it's too much for it to handle. The same can cause amnesia. However, I am confused on why she would only forget being a Chosen Child and everything to do with that and the Digital World. We're missing something and not just Hikari's memories as you're probably muttering at the moment. **

**I think the best thing we can do is support her the best we can, though I'm not sure if everyone seeing her at once will be as beneficial as we may think. It may do more harm than good since she would probably feel very overwhelmed. Same thing goes with taking her to the Digital World, though that may be a likely place to find answers. **

**Please keep me informed promptly on her condition and try to be as best a friend to her as possible. I'd tell you to say hi for me, but she would probably feel even more confused and I don't want that.**

**Take care,**

**Your friend,**

**Takeru**

* * *

"Well, that really helped," Daisuke grumbled. He knew Takeru meant well, but despite his longer email, it did nothing to alleviate his worry over Hikari. He had a feeling that no matter how many people emailed him, no one would have a direct answer concerning the Chosen of Light's missing memories.

As he closed out the email however, he glanced back in the brunette's direction and finally smiled. She was nibbling delicately on a piece of cake donut, tearing off a bit at a time. The plush cat was leaned against her leg and she was staring at the floor, but she was eating nonetheless. That alone was something to celebrate.

Instead however, Daisuke let her be. When she wanted to talk, he would be there to listen but given the experience of his youth, pressing her for her attention was by far not the best way to achieve it. His only choice was to be as patient as possible and though that was not an easy feat, it would have to be achieved. With that in mind, he returned to the table for the rest of his breakfast.

* * *

_Why am I eating this? Why should I care if Nitoni wins or not? _Hikari furrowed her brow as she tore off another tiny piece of donut and hesitated a moment before she slid the sweet doughy substance in her mouth. It felt good to be able to taste something other than her bland and slightly metallic saliva. She knew she should relish the experience, especially since it wasn't prepared by her ex, but the act of actually eating; putting food in mouth, chew, and swallow was almost like torture. Yet, oddly enough, she still forced herself through the task. Tear. Pop. Chew. Chew. Chew. Chew. Chew. Chew. Swallow. Repeat. It was such a dull monotonous act, nothing but repetition and more repetition. _At least he's finally shut up._

She shot a lightening sharp glance at the strange man with his back to her as he sipped on his coffee, seemingly lost in a thought as he sat at the small table. Hikari looked down at her hands as she contemplated why he was so determined to help her. His brown eyes were friendly. Never once since she had met him did they seem anything but…. except when he became outraged over the truth of her injuries….and when he found out that she wanted to die and refused to eat, but even then….even when she had slapped him, he didn't waver. He still insisted on aiding her.

Suddenly, she felt very tired and just wanted to curl back into bed and sleep forever like Sleeping Beauty. Only Prince Charming would not be there to wake her. Prince Charming was a lie and had tried to kill her. No worse, he abandoned her, isolated her, and pretty much tried to strip her of her independence with his insisting on knowing her whereabouts and forcing her to use all of her money on bills. _I've already been destroyed. All that's left is a physical shell._

Hikari silently rose to her feet and retreated to the bathroom. She didn't know why she was wanted to go into the small room, but at least the guy couldn't follow her inside. She flipped on the light and closed the door behind her, completely neglecting to lock it. Instead she looked in the mirror and faced a woman that resembled a corpse staring back at her. Her warm brown eyes, which once sparkled with life, were now dull and hollow. It was as if the spirit in her body had been sucked out. Her hair hung around her face and flowed down her back, stringy and flat. Her skin was pale and chalky with dark circles clinging under her eyes. The faded black shirt looked odd with one sleeve missing, instead replaced by thick gauze and medical tape. She looked too thin as if her skin were molded to her bones. The scratches and cuts on her arms, painful reminders of her personal torment and her daring escape, seemed to be healing nicely to her surprise.

She looked down at her broken fingernails and realized for the first time that her palms had been bandaged. Further inspection of herself revealed soiled, faded jeans. Her shoes and socks were missing. The guy…. whatever his name was, probably took them off before putting her in the bed. "What happened to me?" Her voice cracked as she stared at her reflection and leaned over the sink, pressing one hand against the cool surface. Had she ever been this miserable before? She couldn't remember and that actuality hurt more than anything. She balled her fist and hit the glass, but not hard enough to break it.

_What am I going to do? Do I really want to die? Do I really want to be helped or should I just go back to Nitoni and accept my fate? I'm so confused and scared and alone! _Hikari sank to her knees on the tiled floor and burst into a fit of heart-wrenching sobs. She clutched her sides as she let everything out, wishing to drown in her tears at the moment. The brunette snorted slightly, pondering if she had cried enough to fill a bathtub yet. She leaned her head back against the wall as she cried herself to the point of nearly passing out.

Behind her she heard a slight squeak of the door opening but no one entered. Instead a soft object landed on the floor next to her. The stuffed cat. She looked at it for a moment and brushed her tears away. _That guy must have put it in here, but… why? Why does he insist on helping me? Am I really worth that much? Am I really worth saving?_

She waited for a moment to see if he was going to try to come in as she studied the white ball of fluff, but he never did and this puzzled her. She picked up the cat and wiped her face then studied the plush toy. Had Nitoni ever been like this? When she was ill he'd suggest that she take a bath or drink some vile tasting tea concoction or would tell her to go to bed. And when she was upset…. he'd get aggravated and tell her she was making a big deal out of things. He did comfort her sometimes…. but in the past six months... he showed no compassion whatsoever. Often she'd cry herself to sleep, her tears left unnoticed. The only time he hugged her was when _he_ was feeling down.

She was always alone. Nitoni was too busy with his computer friends. She narrowed her eyes with the reflection of _his_ so called hidden secrets. She shoved those thoughts away and reflected on her college friends…. well, they weren't really friends; just acquaintances that she never actually hung out with outside of class. And work…. was just as bad if not worse. She was simply 'Little Miss Goody Two-Shoes,' so they never invited her to go to a club or the movies or anywhere. Had she really ever had any friends or was it all just a bunch of lies?

Her head hurt and her chest felt worse. All this stress and mental anguish couldn't be any good for her. The number one thing that still confused her was the fact that the children she saw flashes of in her head were the same children the guy had in his pictures. _Can I really trust him? I don't know what to do anymore. I just want out. I want to be somewhere that is not here and be happy and with friends and happy. Just for once, happy. _

A brief flash of the six children along with her brother and some other teenagers at an amusement park flashed in her mind. They were posing for a picture taken by a boy with messy blonde hair. Her brother was standing on the edge of the fountain with a cocky grin on his face standing next to a blonde haired guy that looked to be his age. They were doing some kind of macho pose as a red haired girl next to them put bunny ears on the blonde. A younger, bubbly, pink haired girl, a red haired boy, and an older boy with bluish hair and glasses smiled as they knelt in front of the trio. Next to them were the younger brown haired boy, and the boy with chin length indigo colored hair, also smiling. The girl with glasses was leaning over him and grinned giving the victory sign as he blushed slightly. Behind them stood the brown haired girl, between the blonde with the fisherman's hat and the boy wearing a pair of goggles, both of which were standing on the edge of the fountain and giving each other bunny ears.

Amusingly enough, just as the boy was about to take the picture, the group standing on the edge of the fountain got hit by a huge gust of wind and because the stone was wet and slippery, lost their footing and fell into the fountain.

Hikari blinked and groaned as her head began to pulse. It was such a strange thing to have popped in her head, yet if it was a memory, then it was a good thing. She bit her lip in thought over the other teenagers she saw in her vision. They looked oddly familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere recently…. but where?

An audible gasp escaped her raw throat as her eyes flew open and a sudden surge flooded her veins. She immediately scrambled to her feet and bolted out of the bathroom. She couldn't be certain unless she had the evidence right in front of her face.

* * *

Author's Notes: We will be reunited with a few other characters in the next chapter. Of course things are not always as they seem. And remember, Hikari is not being spiteful anything, she is just very confused and fearful. 


	4. Broken Memories

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 4  
Broken Memories  
By  
Sailor Janus

Hikari didn't have far to search in the small motel room as she burst out of the bathroom. Urgently, she raced for the young man still seated at the table. "Hey, um, I can't remember your name, but I need to see your pictures," she said excitedly to the man who seemed half-asleep in his chair.

Daisuke however immediately perked up as he heard Hikari's voice and looked at her in bewilderment. He blinked then retrieved his wallet and handed it to her.

Frantically the young woman flipped it open and shuffled through the pictures until she found the one of the formal wear. There standing among the group was the blonde teenaged boy that was standing next to her brother in the vision, the red haired girl, the short red haired boy, the tall bluish haired one and the bubbly pink haired girl whose hair was no longer pink. Even the photographer was in the picture standing next to the girl. "They're here. They're all here! Then it's true. It has to be!"

To the leader of the Chosen's pure shock, Hikari burst out into a fit of gleeful laughter. His jaw dropped and he stared at her completely flabbergasted. It took a moment for him to recover, but when he did, he was pleased to see her finally smile. "What's true?"

"Huh?" She spun around, then looked at him and realized right then and there, the dumbfounded expression on his face made her giggle. "Oh, thank you! I'm sorry I don't remember your name, but if you didn't have these pictures then I'd think I really was losing my mind with all these visions I've been having lately."

"Visions? Wait. Are you trying to tell me you are starting to remember?"

Hikari's smile faded and she descended down to the floor. "Not exactly. And I don't know why I am telling you this, but since you have a key to my missing memories, and seem to know that I am missing my memories. Then maybe, just maybe, there was some good in my life." She spoke every word softly and solemnly as if acknowledging everything was much too painful for her to grasp.

Daisuke nodded. "So, you do believe me when I say that we were friends as kids?"

"I don't know, but I have to find answers and so far you are the only one that seems to be able to provide me with any pieces to this humungous puzzle." She then described in whatever detail she could remember all the visions and flashes she had of the groups of children. When she was done, she gazed back down at the pictures. "They have to have been real. I couldn't have been alone my whole life. It's too cruel."

"They're true and you had and still have a close group of friends that care very much about you and miss you like crazy." He shrugged for a moment and furrowed his eyebrows. "Too bad the goggles broke or I could show them to you for proof too. Your brother gave them to me."

"I thought they looked vaguely familiar, though I can't remember too much of my childhood." Hikari sighed and ran a hand through her hair, suddenly wishing it were clean. "So my visions really did happen?"

A grin lit up Daisuke's face and he nodded in confirmation then took a seat in front of her. "Yeah. The snowball fight, the park, the beach, the pictures….all of it. I have to admit none of us ever thought you'd hit the tree that hard. I even had snow in the back of my shirt!"

She giggled and swept a lock of hair from her face then fell quiet. "How do I know that this isn't all just one big lie? How do I know what is real and what isn't?"

"You just have to believe and trust in your own heart."

Hikari lifted her gaze to his face and held it for a moment. "But what if it's shattered? How can you trust something that is broken?"

"It will heal. Hearts are good like that." Daisuke sighed and rocked back and forth slightly as if anxious. "I wish you remembered more. It would make this easier. You are missing a huge part of your memory, but I don't think it would be a good idea to tell you. So just trust in what you are remembering."

"If you say so."

"Listen, I know you have gone through a lot but as you looked through my pictures you've got to believe that no matter what, I won't leave you high and dry. Friends don't do that. We WILL get your memories back. You just have to trust in your heart that you will remember."

Her mouth felt dry at the sound of determination in his voice. Trusting was hard now. She didn't know if she could even trust herself after all that had happened. Was it even worth getting her memories back? Just as she was about to reply in defiance, she felt someone squeeze her hand reassuringly. Her head snapped up and she stared in shock at the stranger.

"I am Motomiya Daisuke. Your friend. And I promise to help you no matter what even if you don't believe me. I will do all I can and more to help you, Hikari. And I would do the same for any other friend. I care about you and I don't want to see you suffer anymore than you already have. You have to believe me." His voice cracked a bit as he said the last part as if he felt the same pain in just knowing only pieces of what she had gone through.

The stunned young woman wanted to draw her hand out of his grasp, but discovered she didn't have the energy to do so. Daisuke, that was his name, looked so urgent as if he understood vaguely what was going on in her head. At that point she didn't know what to do. He wasn't trying to hurt her and wanted to instead help her so yelling at him and slapping him would be undeserved. Exhaustion was now rushing through her system and her eyes and body felt heavy. Numbly she nodded and allowed herself to be overcome by fatigue as she collapsed to the floor.

* * *

The desktop felt cool against Ichijouchi Ken's forehead as the pronouncements of a headache threatened to assault his already tormented head. He ran a hand through his short dark hair and at that moment, wished it were longer so he could hide behind it like shroud. Instead his locks barely brushed over his ears in a bowl-like fashion. His bangs still fell in his eyes but at times he wanted something to better hide with.

He clenched a hand into a fist, then lifted his head and looked at it. In his mind, it should drip with blood from those he had hurt and maybe even killed. Even in saving the world, he still felt it didn't atone for his sins. The only reason he was probably still alive was so his parents wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

"Ken?" A feminine voice said as a knock sounded on the door. "Are you napping?"

The former genius turned his head and looked at his girlfriend, Inoue Miyako. Her long lavender hair now reached her waist and was pulled back in a thick braid. Long gone were her glasses. Instead she wore contact lenses, which Ken had to admit made the young woman look a lot lovelier. The baggy t shirt and dark pants however, didn't really do too much for her nice figure, making it rather indistinguishable.

He rubbed his face and shook his head. "I have a headache and have been trying to reach Koushiro to tell him about Hikari."

Miyako's face softened at the mention of their long lost friend. "I see." She scowled at the bottle of sake next to him and shook her head. "Well, that bottle gives a good reason to your headache."

"I haven't had any today," he lied.

His girlfriend rolled her eyes in disgust. "Whatever. Just don't come crying to me when you have a hangover."

Ken glowered at her. "Only if you don't do the same when you are having a bout of PMS."

"Go to hell," Miyako hissed. "But wait, I think you are already there."

"Damn right, with you here!"

The infuriated woman gasped and screeched. "If you want to drink yourself under the table rather than talk about your problems, fine by me, Ken. Just remember there are some serious consequences to that and I'd prefer not to find you one day dead!" With that final statement, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the small office.

The Chosen Child of Kindness glowered at the pale white walls that seemed to mock him with cruel laughter at his misfortunes. He picked up the bottle and threw it across the room, smashing it into the fiendish face. Slowly the clear liquid began to saturate the wall and dripped to the floor forming a slick, alcohol scented puddle. Ken dropped his head onto the desk again and groaned, silently cursing everything he could think of in his muddled mind as the laughter continued to ring in his ears.

* * *

Miyako pressed her back against the walnut colored door and swore loudly. What happened to them? Weren't they happy once, but somehow, somewhere, everything got turned upside down. Then again perhaps she was just imagining it or maybe Ken was only pretending. Maybe he didn't really want her after all. It wasn't too hard for the twenty-two year old woman to grasp. After all, he seemed to only withdraw more and more. And there didn't seem to be a damn thing she could do about it.

"It was so much easier when we were kids," she murmured sadly. At that moment she wanted to cry, but knew she couldn't. She was too stubborn for her own good. Perhaps she was why Ken was so distant. He barely ever talked to her much anymore.

A bittersweet smile spread across her lips as she recalled the days when they were so in love that they made sugar seem bitter. He used to surprise her with gifts that seemed to have no particular significance, until he explained to her what they meant. Her favorite was probably an hourglass that was so full of sand that it couldn't shift no matter how many times you turned it or shook it. Miyako thought it was a joke, but Ken explained that it symbolized that their time together would never run out. It would always be there for them, just as his love for her would never run dry either. That confession nearly made her cry. It was the most beautiful thing that anyone had ever told her.

"Damn it," the young woman clenched her hands into fists, fighting the coming tears. She hated herself for recalling that moment and now she knew she was going to pay dearly. She wiped her eyes and took a breath, forcing her mind to redirect itself anyplace but Ken. Instead she rushed out into the living room and broke down feeling weak and helpless.

* * *

The thundering sound of rock music bounced off the walls of Takaishi Takeru's dorm room. He leaned over the windowsill and drew a long drag from his cigarette then puffed out a cloud of smoke. He ran a hand through his shoulder length blonde hair and sighed. School so far wasn't working out. The classes were horrible, especially for one who wished to be a novelist. They all wanted him to write literary fiction and press on about it being the epitome of the art of writing. Whatever. Literary fiction was dull, concentrating only on the characters rather than an interesting mix of characters, plot, and scene in what was called genre fiction. Genre was the form of fiction that Takeru believed to be a true art form. You had to have the balance of all the necessary elements just so otherwise the story falls apart. That was what writing fiction was truly about. Unfortunately, his college didn't agree and instead, he was forced to write things he hated, and often found ripped to shreds by his peers and professors anyway.

_Maybe I should have tried being a musician like Yamato. Ha, like that would ever happen. _Takeru snorted and snuffed out the cigarette before discarding it on the ground below. The school officials didn't like anyone smoking in the dorms, but they never actually tried to stop anyone from doing so either.

_Yamato is popular. Yamato gets all the girls and even has a girlfriend. And what do I get? Homework. Why am I always overshadowed? Not that he even CONTACTS me anymore. Too lost in his damn life. Like everyone else. Of course everyone is going to probably rally together with what's going on with Hikari. _The Bearer of Hope's anger stilled for a moment. He didn't know whether or not to envy the girl.

Takeru dug his hands into the pockets of his dark denim jeans shoving aside the large over shirt, which hung loosely over the pockets. He scoffed as he looked at his reflection shining off the mirrored closet doors. He probably couldn't look more like his older brother if he tried. _Well, since everyone seemed to favor Yamato, maybe they'll like me a bit more if I were like him._ The rationality in his thoughts made sense in his mind though most people would probably call him crazy, but he couldn't help it. He was so incredibly lonely at the university that was Yamato's alma mater that perhaps he'd have better luck if he just took up some of his brother's habits. Of course, it didn't seem to be doing too much good. Looking like a rock star was one thing, but to be one, you had to know how to play an instrument. Something that Takeru was having difficulty with no matter how hard he tried to practice, he just couldn't get the hang of the guitar. Instead, the twenty-one year old was stuck playing dress up in hopes that his luck of being a nobody would change.

* * *

The dull, dim, desolate atmosphere chilled Hikari to the bone. The sky, trees, water, everything looked as though it was dead. There was no wind, or any sound for that matter. It was just cold and foreboding.

"Where am I?" The young woman rubbed her arms nervously. Something felt very wrong about this place, and deep down she knew she was afraid. She just couldn't remember why.

"Home," another voice sharply said with a bite of a laugh.

"No, this isn't home. I don't know what this is, but it's not home." Hikari took a step back as if burned. She didn't want to be there, anywhere but there.

The voice laughed a soft female cackle. "Surely you are mistaken. This is where you belong. And I will see to it that you return very soon."

"NO!" The young woman screamed and suddenly found herself standing in the middle of the sidewalk of an empty street. A huge rush of icy rain poured down upon her, threatening to push her to the ground. Warm tears streaked down her face and she lifted her head. "Why are you doing this? What have I ever done to you?"

"You existed."

Hikari spun around and found a figured hidden under a dark cloak. Helplessly, the young woman shoved a handful of hair from her drenched face, but it didn't aid her any better in seeing the mysterious person. "I don't understand. Do I know you?"

"No. Not that it matters. You will soon meet your fate." With those final words, the mysterious person disappeared, leaving Hikari alone in the storm.

"Wait! Come back! Please, I don't understand." She burst into a fit of tears as she fell to her knees in defeat. "Please!"

* * *

Daisuke's brow furrowed at Hikari in the bed, tossing and turning in her sleep. Fresh tears leaked from her eyes and slid down her cheeks. He balled his hands into fists as if debating on whether or not to wake her when she suddenly screamed.

"PLEASE!" The Chosen Child's eyes flew open and blinked, trying to gauge her whereabouts. She groaned lightly and pressed a hand to her face.

"Bad dream?"

"Huh?" Hikari frowned and glanced over to the soccer player for a moment before realizing that she was not at home….or what used to be home. _I'm homeless. Just another misfortune to add to my growing list. _

The young man walked over and handed her a bottle of water. "This might help since it looks like you're soaked again."

The brunette glanced down at herself and blushed slightly. She hated waking up drenched in her own sweat. It was so disgusting. "Thanks," she replied accepting the bottle and eagerly drank it down. "I really need to stop starting the morning like this."

Daisuke chuckled. "I think you need a nap just to recover from your sleeping activities." He paused a moment and allowed her to drink to her heart's content. "So, do you want to share what you've been having nightmares about? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I wish I could explain it. Usually it's bits and pieces of different things at a rapid pace but this one…. this one was different." Hikari considered her words as the spiky haired young man dragged a chair over so he could listen without worrying about falling over if it was something really bad. "It was almost real, but didn't feel like my visions. Almost as if it had actually happened."

"How?"

"I don't know. I was someplace cold, dark, and dead feeling. I can't really remember much else. Just that someone or something talked to me and said that was my home. Then I was in a rainstorm and they told me it was my fault because I existed or something. I'm not too sure. They just said we never met, yet it's my fault."

The Bearer of Miracles scowled for a moment. "Well, that sounds really unfair. Just because you exist it's your fault? Geez, do they think everything is your fault? Next thing you know they'll blame you for world hunger, pollution, the destruction of the rainforest, and the fact that there is never enough toilet paper on the roll when you need it the most."

Hikari sighed in misery, but that quickly faded thanks to the last statement. "Toilet paper?" She blinked then laughed. "Toilet paper? Yes, I sneak into bathrooms around the world and short sheet every roll….. That was just…. odd."

The soccer star however grinned at her in merriment as he walked to the table. "Yeah, but you have to admit, it was fun. You really need to lighten up more, but we'll work on that later."

"If you say so, but I still don't know what to do. I only have fragments of my memory and as you said, I'm missing something big. How am I supposed remember everything?"

"Good question." Daisuke picked up his coffee cup and took a sip then made a face. "If I wanted iced coffee, I would have asked for it…. Of course it'd have chocolate and whipped cream on it."

"Cold?"

"Very. I'm surprised it didn't freeze over." He put the cup back down, careful not to topple it then turned back to Hikari, taking a seat on the floor. "Let's see. Well, it'd be nice to not to have to spend more money on this room, despite how, um, pastel it is."

The young woman pursed her lips and looked at the carpet. She forgot that they were in a motel room that the guy was paying for. She glanced around the room and noted that there were no travel bags other than her backpack, which was leaned haphazardly against the wall near the bathroom. At that moment she felt a little guilty since he had done so much for her, yet she had been a very ill mannered guest. Her mother would have a fit if she knew how her daughter had been behaving. "I suppose that would mean checking out and going somewhere. I just don't know where."

"Well, I could take you back to your parents…if I knew where they lived. Or to see your brother…if I knew where he was. Sorry."

Hikari cringed at the mentioning of her family. If they knew what had happened to her, she may never be able to leave the house again. Plus, it was kind of embarrassing. Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine sitting in a motel room with a stranger who insisted that he knew her when they were kids because her ex-boyfriend had tried to kill her and her memories were broken. The Bearer of Light gazed down at her knees and bit her lip. "Please don't tell them. I couldn't bear the thought of worrying them. And they would really overreact, especially Taichi."

"I kinda figured that so I haven't told your brother yet."

"Thank you." She tugged on a piece of hair and grimaced. "I must really smell so I guess if you'll let me get cleaned up, we can figure out where to go next. I imagine we'll need to stop off at your place since I don't see any luggage here."

Daisuke scowled in thought for a moment and before an idea popped in his head. "Hey, what about Odaiba? I mean that is where you used to live when we were kids. Maybe being there would trigger some more memories."

"It's worth looking into." Hikari paused a moment and bit her lip insecurely. "Um, is there going to be anyone else there?"

"I don't know. Do you want to see any of the others?"

Flashes of her visions shot through her head as she considered the idea. She could see the friendly group smiling and laughing, joy shining brightly through their eyes as they enjoyed each other's company. "Well, maybe. I mean they seemed nice and … I don't know. I don't know how they'll react or I'll react or anything. I just want my memories back. Is that too much to ask?"

"Not at all." The Chosen Children leader leaned back on his hands. "Tell you what. Go get cleaned up. I'll contact the others to see what they think and from there, we'll figure out what to do next."

"Okay." Hikari climbed out of bed and smiled down at the kind young man, hesitating for a moment. "Thank you, Daisuke." She then turned around headed towards her bag.

The soccer star froze in bewilderment over the fact that she had actually _said_ his name. "You-you remembered my name?" He sputtered as she swung the bag over her shoulder and shrugged.

"Got to start somewhere I guess. Just don't ask me to recite the names of everyone else." The young woman then departed into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

"She remembered." Daisuke murmured still in complete amazement of the fact. The past few hours were rough. Already it was late in the afternoon and he had to pay two days worth for the room. He picked himself up and stepped out onto the porch for a smoke.

The Bearer of Miracles knew if Hikari had her memories back, she'd frown then lecture him on the harm it was doing to his health. He supposed he should quit…. eventually.

He pondered how V-mon was doing back in the Digital World. Hopefully he and the others were fine. It had been a few months since they last saw each other but V-mon said Tailmon was worried about the Child of Light because she never came to visit or anything. It wasn't before long that the other digimon decided to keep the feline digimon company. This fact of course made Daisuke worry just as much.

At times he questioned if it was his fault that she never tried contacting any of them. They had fought a bit before she left but even after they had made up, he still feared that she was angry with him. She had insisted on him going to college and pushing for the soccer scholarship. His grades were a little better than average at the time and his soccer skills had improved greatly throughout the years. Even after he had sprained his ankle in a snowboarding accident on a trip visiting Mimi in America. He had been really depressed over his accident, but Hikari encouraged him to allow himself to heal fully before training again so he didn't aggravate his injury any worse and end up pulling a ligament instead.

It took every ounce of strength to accomplish her wish, especially when he had not heard from her since the day she had left. Daisuke however knew he'd see her again somehow and that if he had given up, she'd be greatly disappointed. Of course, he never dreamed that when that day would come, she would have no clue as to who he was.

The young man smiled dully as a raindrop hit his face. He looked up and another landed on his nose. Gradually the rain fell harder as he stood under the shower with his eyes closed and the cigarette long since smoldered. In fact, Daisuke was so lost in his own world that he didn't hear the sound of Hikari opening the door and stepping out to meet him.

"It's really coming down," she softly said, turning her hands palms up and tilting her face skyward.

The soccer star glanced in her direction noting how her freshly clean, wet hair clung to her beautiful face. A brief memory of a younger version of Yagami Hikari with chin length hair giggling and prancing in the rain on their way home from school entered his mind and quickly vanished. That teenaged girl was no more. The only chance she may return is if Hikari got her memories back, but even then the world and its bitter experiences may have changed her too much to return to what she once was. After all, this version of Hikari chose to wear a faded black v-neck shirt and a silver necklace that he had never seen before with a gray stone in the center. It looked rather bland with her well-worn dark denim pants. _The Hikari I knew would wear something brighter_ _and would spin around as the rain fell upon her. _

"You're quiet."

Daisuke shrugged. "I have my moments." The sky rumbled as a flash of lightening streaked through the sky.

"I see. I guess everyone has them once in awhile." She looked down at the ground and wrinkled her nose at the snuffed cigarette. "I didn't know you smoked."

"Off and on," he replied, a bit amazed at the fact that she noticed.

"It's not good for you."

"And you're the expert on health?" Daisuke cocked an eyebrow at the young woman who narrowed her eyes in response.

"I didn't say that. I just think that you shouldn't smoke."

"And I think that you should eat before you blow away."

They stared at each other for a moment as if daring the other one to speak before turning away. Daisuke smirked, and nudged her in the ribs. "Tell you what, if you eat three square meals a day, I'll quit smoking. No more cutting or anything else that would also be referred to as unhealthy either. Deal?"

Hikari looked at him in bewilderment. "You've got to be kidding. You'd really quit smoking if I ate and all that?"

"Yep! Do we have a deal?"

"Uh, I guess so."

"Good because for every meal you skip, I get to smoke one cigarette."

"Half a cigarette."

"Whole."

"Whatever."

Daisuke grinned at her in victory. "Remember, a deal is a deal."

"Right." She nodded then leaned over the dark metal railing. A light breeze toyed with her loose hair as she stared out into the distance. "So, we're really going back to Odaiba?"

"Have to make a stop at my dorm in Tokyo, but yeah."

Hikari bit her lip nervously. "So are any of the others going to be there?"

"Uh, whoops. I forgot to ask." Daisuke scratched the back of his head as he laughed sheepishly. "I'll contact them after we make a brief stop at my place, okay?"

"Okay. Then I guess we better leave now so we can buy some tickets since I suspect you don't have a car."

"Good idea." Together they headed back inside to prepare for yet another journey. Daisuke paused at the door and shook his head at the young woman who once seemed to know him so well. He had to wonder if she was still just as perceptive, or if perhaps, she tried to shut away everything. Either way, he knew he was going to be in for quite a ride.

* * *

Author Notes: I know several of the characters may seem to be out of character, but keep in mind it has been over ten years since the series finale (outside of the so called look into the future) so people will change. I have put a lot of thought in how every character acts, looks, and the events that had occurred in their lives, which may or may not change. (I've even done character sketches and made notes on everyone involved.) Everyone, not just Hikari has been through a great ordeal as you can see. Just understand that there is a method to my madness and that the characters will more than likely grow as they are reintroduced to each other again. 


	5. Another Journey

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 5  
Another Journey  
By  
Sailor Janus

The brilliant sky was growing dim as the day passed towards evening. Daisuke gazed out the train window at the passing trees, enjoying the calming scenery. He drifted his focus over to the young woman who had fallen asleep awhile back. A few strands of brown hair rested against her pale face and he fought the urge to brush them away. For now Hikari looked peaceful, but who knew what exactly she was dreaming of? Daisuke hated seeing her so troubled and vulnerable. He remembered the days when they were saving the world and the determined inner strength she often showed. Even when she was afraid, she glowed with a light that seemed to give her the will to engage in battle.

_What happened to that light? It's so dim. _As soon as images of the past tried to enter his head, the Chosen Child leader violently shoved them back into the depths of his mind. He didn't need to be reminded of what once had been. It was evident that things just wouldn't go back to the way they were. Just the thought of it made the twenty-one year old wish for something alcoholic to drown himself in. Instead he took out a pen and started chewing on the cap. He knew it was a bad habit and the plastic was probably not good for his teeth, but he needed something to take the edge off with.

Daisuke had to admit he was getting better considering everything that was going on. Things were not like they were when he was younger with an explosive amount of energy that he could use to sway people into believing that he was just a bumbling idiot without a thought in the world. He used to do rather well conveying to people that his mask was his true face. After all, if you seem cheerful all the time, then nothing was wrong and people wouldn't ask questions. He hated pity with a fiery passion and the mere thought of it revolted him. His only other choice was to pretend to be as cheerful and carefree as possible. There was only one person he could trust but now…he may just have to keep his own problems bottled up and stored away then act as if his life was as perfectly normally as it could be._ No, I'm not going to think of that right now. It's not going to do any good to weaken my defenses. I won't think about that now. Not now, damn it._ He bit down hard on the plastic with thoughts of Odaiba. As a familiar stinging sensation flooded his brown eyes, he pushed his mind elsewhere. No, the Chosen of Miracles knew he'd have to face things again, but not now. He had more important things to focus on, at least he could tell himself that, whether or not he believed it didn't really matter.

He was unbelievably frustrated with everything. Hikari, college… and other things that he didn't care to consider at the moment if ever. He wanted to find a safe, secure place to hide, but there was none. It wasn't like when he was a kid and could engage his mind in various activities just so he couldn't think about anything but the task at hand. That seemed to be one of his best talents, focusing all his energy on one particular goal as if it were the center of the world and nothing else mattered. But now, that strength of his seemed like it was dying and everything revolved around Hikari, yet he didn't have the faintest idea on how to act around her. There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn't. _Who am I kidding? Hikari is never going to be like she once was. It's all just a stupid useless wish. A miracle perhaps. Like that would ever happen. I mean I could call finding her again a miracle, but, she doesn't remember me so what is the use? _

He sighed heavily and watched Hikari sleep for a moment, a little more restless than she previously was. The young man frowned as she jerked and whimpered as if in pain. "She can't even have a moment of peace while sleeping," he murmured shaking his head sadly. Just as he debated on waking up the Bearer of Light, her hand abruptly swung out striking him in the face.

"Hey!" Daisuke cried out in more in shock than in pain, dropping his pen. He really hoped this wasn't going to become a habit.

Hikari gasped and her brown eyes flew open. She looked at her slightly stinging hand and the red blotch on the side of the young man's face. "Oh, no. I didn't hit you, did I?"

The soccer player chuckled as he nodded. He knew he couldn't stay mad at her for long. Especially since she didn't do it on purpose that time. "Yeah, but it's not too bad, and I know it's not your fault."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

"I know. It's okay. Don't worry about it. At least you didn't punch me or anything worse." Daisuke leaned back in his seat and looked at the ceiling. "So, any interesting dreams?"

"I can't really remember. Just pieces of this and that." Hikari made a face and groaned as she rubbed her head. "My head hurts though and I don't know why."

"We'll get something to eat after we get off the train. Maybe that will help."

"I'm not really hungry."

"But you haven't been eating regularly."

"What does that have to do with my headaches?"

"Ever heard of a hunger headache?"

The young woman frowned. "No."

"You get them when you're hungry. Besides, for every meal you skip, I get to smoke one cigarette."

"Fine. We'll get food after we get off the train," Hikari grumbled pulling her hair up into a messy bun as she leaned back then sighed. "I really hate this."

_Me too, Hikari. Me too. _Daisuke glanced out the window and wished the train would move just a bit faster so they could get to his dorm, grab what he needed, and then go off to Odaiba.

Hikari fingered the loose strands of hair that fell in her face as she tapped her foot on the floor. She closed her eyes and yawned. "This is so boring. Can we just get there already?"

Daisuke raised an eyebrow at her. "I never knew you to be impatient. Usually you'd comment on my being unable to sit still and complaints about having to wait."

"People change I guess," she shrugged and returned to playing with her hair unaware that her travel companion was still watching her.

_She's different. Normally she'd joke about it or would remind me of when we were younger. I guess I just need to get used to the idea of her not being the same Hikari she once was no matter how much I much I wish she could be. It's just not going to happen. _The young man leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes hoping that by the time he opened them, they'd reach their destination. Lucky for him, once he had closed his eyes, no sooner had he drifted off to sleep did he feel someone shake his shoulder.

"Um, hey, we're here."

Daisuke smiled as he nodded but he felt a bit of disappointment over the fact that Hikari seemed to have forgotten his name again. At least they finally made it and his mind could rest a bit.

* * *

The key turned easily in the lock as Daisuke twisted the door open then led Hikari inside. The small dorm room was a bit cluttered with two twin beds and two desks on opposite sides of the room. The soccer player was relieved that his roommate off in Italy for the majority of the break from classes. That made bringing Hikari a little easier to swallow. He walked over to his closet and searched the floor for his backpack.

Hikari wandered over the clothing strewn floor towards his bed as if she were entranced by something. There, sitting on the nightstand was a framed photograph. She walked closer and picked it up, then nearly dropped it. Smiling up at her was a younger version of the young man and herself. He had his arm wrapped around her waist, and his head leaned toward hers as if whispering something in her ear as she laughed in response. They looked close and happy. "Um, how good of friends were we?"

The question made the college student freeze as he grabbed a shirt from the floor. He swallowed thickly and looked up at Hikari nearly cursing when he noted the picture she held in her hands. He should have inspected the room for anything that might suggest anything of the past. His throat felt raw as if he had swallowed a bag of gravel when he finally gave her an answer. "Just friends."

"Just friends?" She blinked and glanced down at the photo again. "But we look pretty close here. Are you sure?"

Daisuke stepped back into the room and approached the young woman, promptly snatching the picture from her hands. He tried to look as indifferent as possible, but it was hard. "Yes, we were friends. Don't worry about it. It was in the past and you can't ever go back to the past." He threw open a drawer and shoved the picture inside then snapped the drawer shut. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing."

Hikari didn't say a word as he went back to his task. Instead she sat on the bed and waited.

_Damn it. She's still nosy. I wouldn't have minded if only she remembered who I was. This is so unfair. At least it wasn't a picture with the digimon. Then I would really have a lot to explain. _He shoved some clothing, a sleeping bag, and other supplies he knew were a necessity in the Digital World in his bag in case they would have to go back. Then again, Hikari without her memories wouldn't be very useful, but in any case, that may be their only solution. He knew she was miserable without them and couldn't really blame her. Of course, if they did have to go to the Digital World, they would have to pick up additional supplies for the Bearer of Light. He doubted that she even had a sleeping bag with her.

Daisuke swung his black backpack over his shoulders and looked at Hikari. "Sorry about being a bit hotheaded. I guess I'm probably just hungry so do you want to go get something to eat?"

"I guess so."

He nodded and together they left the dorm without a second glance behind them.

* * *

The gentle breeze was actually invigorating as Hikari walked down the street with Daisuke. For a moment she could forget about everything and instead enjoy the sun, the wind, and the bright blue sky. It was such a pleasant day that, a tiny part of her longed to skip down the streets and laugh her head off. Hikari however restrained that inner child and concentrated her attention on her shoes.

She had to admit, lunch was nice. It reminded her of the food she used to have at her university before she and Nitoni had gotten an apartment together. Why did things have to turn out the way they did? She thought she was happy, but things changed. Hikari thought about the picture she found in her companion's dorm. Something felt …strange about it. They looked so cheerful. Her hair was almost shoulder length and her brown eyes sparkled like polished gemstones. His hair was also longer but still spiky. He had goggles on his head and the grin on his face was pure mischief. With the way they appeared she would guess them to have been fifteen or sixteen, maybe even seventeen. However, age didn't really matter. What did was the pure joy on their faces; something, which Hikari knew had been missing from hers for a very long time.

"Hikari?"

The young woman lifted her gaze to Daisuke's. He too looked different from the photo. His face was a bit harder and he seemed tired, not full of the energy that radiated off him in the picture. He was paler and there was a tone of caution whenever he spoke as if he were unsure of what he was saying. At once she realized that perhaps she wasn't the only one that had changed. Maybe everyone had. This thought confused and almost frightened her. What if no one was really happy? Then what?

"Hikari?"

She blinked at the sound of her name being repeated and reddened at the fact that she was staring at Daisuke. He gave her a slight smirk as she brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Sorry. I was thinking."

"You always did a lot of that," He nodded then smiled at her. "So what do you say to some nice cool ice cream? My treat."

"Ice cream?"

"Yeah, there's a great place a few stores away from here."

Hikari paused for a moment as if to contemplate the idea, but never had a chance to fully analyze it when Daisuke suddenly snagged her arm and yanked her inside.

The place was relatively busy as the doors closed behind them. Daisuke's smile widened as he released Hikari's arm. "You find a seat and I'll get the ice cream."

"But you don't even know what I want," she argued.

"Two scoops of Cookies and Crème in a waffle cone," the young man replied as if it were general knowledge.

Hikari gaped at him in shock. "H-how did you know that? I haven't had ice cream in years!"

He gave her a small passive smile. "You always got it whenever we had ice cream. I don't forget things that most would refer to as insignificant trivia that easily. However if you were to ask me to recite the Periodic Table of Elements…. then we'd have a problem." Daisuke gave her a wink and batted her away. "Don't worry. I've got it covered. One scoop of Rum Raisin, right? Or is it Peanut Butter Mint Fudge? Maybe Eggplant Toffee…"

"Okay, okay. You can get the stupid ice cream." She shook her head stifling a giggle. She turned and headed to the right side of the parlor where several tables were occupied. Something felt so familiar. It wasn't the place. She had never been in this particular parlor, but the sweet smell, and oddly enough, even the company. She almost felt at home, even though it was only an ice cream parlor. Once again she could see another image of the six children.

The boy with the goggles raced towards the counter, wallet in hand and a backpack strapped to his back. The other five children, also carrying backpacks, trailed behind him with looks of annoyance and or disbelief on their faces.

"Daisuke, we don't have time," the bespectacled girl scowled as he grinned at her.

"There's always time for ice cream! So what does everyone want?"

The tall dark haired boy shrugged at the others and spoke softly. "Coffee I suppose."

"Ken, don't encourage him," the girl frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. A look of irritation was written all of over her face.

"It's not such a bad idea especially since we don't know what we're in for today. Besides, ice cream doesn't take that long to eat."

"But…but…fine. Mint chocolate chip," she muttered.

The boy at counter grinned in victory. "What was that? I couldn't hear you, Miyako."

"MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP, YOU SOCCER HEAD."

Daisuke winced then turned to his other comrades. "Well, who else, or am I going to have to get Lima Bean Swirl for the rest of you?"

"Daisuke," the shorter girl gagged at the suggestion.

He smirked back at her playfully. "Sorry, but I'm not a flavor, Hikari. So would you prefer your usual Cookies and Crème?"

She rolled her eyes at him but nodded. "You've been around Taichi too much. Did he tell you that was my favorite flavor?"

"No, I just remembered it from your birthday party a few years ago." He then turned to the other two boys who had not made their decisions yet. "Iori? Takeru? Have you two made up your minds?"

"Rocky Road," the youngest boy replied without hesitation.

Daisuke nodded. "So, Takeru, what will it be? Peanut Butter Fudge…. Chocolate Brownie…. Toffee Nut-"

"French Vanilla."

The boy at the countered blinked and looked back at the blonde wearing a fisherman's hat. "Neh? _French Vanilla?_ Are you serious? That…that… that's so boring!"

"It's what I want," the blonde said in a slightly firm tone. "So what are you having, Daisuke?"

"Only the best flavor in the whole world. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!"

"That requires vanilla. Without vanilla ice cream, you'd just have cookie dough."

The goggle wearing boy's eyes lit up. "Hey, that's a great idea. I'll have to try that later…" Then he turned back to the counter and ordered.

Hikari blinked as the image faded. It was so weird and seemed to have very little significance to anything, yet it appeared in her mind as bright as day before setting like the sun. She sighed and spun around to find a chair only to bump into a young woman holding a cone of chocolate ice cream. "Excuse me. I'm sorry," Hikari said flustered as she and the other woman backed away from each other then bowed awkwardly.

"It's okay." The woman flipped her red and blonde streaked bangs from her eyes and suddenly gaped in bewilderment at the younger woman. "Hi-Hikari? Is that you?"

"Huh?" the confused brunette turned around and looked at the other woman who continued to stare at her. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"Oh my…" The red head ran a hand through her long ponytail, the chocolate ice cream long forgotten began to drip off its cone.

Just then a familiar face approached them with one ice cream cone in each hand. "This place is more packed than I expected," Daisuke said then he too stopped mid-step and looked in disbelief at the other woman who distinctly looked like someone he hadn't seen in sometime. "Holy shhhoestrings, Sora! Is that really you?"

"Sora?" Hikari blinked as the woman turned and gasped at the sight of the younger man.

"Daisuke? Oh my, it is you! Both of you! I can't believe it!" Takenouchi Sora looked down at her melting cone and made a face at it. "So how have you two been? It seems like ages since I last saw you two together."

The soccer player gave the Chosen of Love a pained expression. He had to admit, she looked really different. Her red hair was about mid-length and streaked with blonde. She wore tight hip hugging flared jeans with boots and a low cut turquoise tank top. "You mean Yamato never told you?"

"Told her what?"

Daisuke spun around and found himself face to face with Ishida Yamato. The twenty-four year old man's blonde hair brushed against his shoulders as his intense blue eyes studied the Chosen of Miracles. He held a cone of black cherry, and rested his other hand against the pocket of his jeans. The over-sized green shirt and slightly baggy jeans looked a bit odd but Daisuke decided not to comment. "Yamato. Wow! You're both here. So um, have you talked to Takeru lately?"

Yamato's face darkened at the mentioning of his little brother. "No, we haven't talked. Why do you ask?"

The brownish-red haired young man hesitated for a moment wondering why Yamato seemed so angry and bitter about Takeru. It was something he may have to question Sora about. "Um, I need to talk to you two alone. Now."

Sora looked at him in confusion. "Why? It can't be said in front of Hikari?"

"It's about Hikari."

Yamato gave him an inquiring look. Daisuke sighed and handed Hikari her ice cream.

She looked at the small group and pursed her lips. "I'll go find a place to sit. You can join me when you're done. Okay?"

"Thank you, Hikari."

She nodded back at him and disappeared into a crowd as the three remaining Chosen Children stood in the middle of the floor. The leader of the second group cocked his head to an abandoned corner of the room, heading in the direction as the couple followed him.

"What is that all about? Hikari seems to be acting strange. She didn't even say hi or anything," the musician said, glancing in the direction that the Child of Light had gone.

Daisuke ate some of his ice cream and nodded. "That's the problem. Her memories of the Chosen Children are gone. She doesn't remember anything outside of when she moved during our senior year of high school."

"She seems completely different. She's so…. empty. It brought a chill down my spine just to see her," Sora nodded. "How did you find her? She's been missing for years."

"At a park in Kyoto of all places. I was just wandering around and watching a soccer game then she walked in. She had no idea who I was." Daisuke continued to tell them of the past few events in detail from the time she had left to finding her again all the way to the present. When he finished he looked even more distraught than ever before. "I don't really know what to do for her. I want her to get her memories back just as badly as she does but I don't know how. I feel completely useless. The only thing I can think of is to try the Digital World, but how do I know that will even work? She may end up getting hurt or worse."

Yamato looked thoughtfully at the distressed young man. "Perhaps you are right, though. If it's memories of being a Chosen Child that she is missing, then perhaps taking her back to the Digital World would help." He glanced briefly at Sora who had not spoken a word regarding either way then continued. "We'll go with you if you want the company."

Daisuke nodded. "Well, if there is more of us, perhaps if things got bad, we can at least keep Hikari safe if something did happen." He paused for a moment in thought. "Should we contact the others? I mean a bigger party would mean a better chance of keeping her safe."

"It might be a good idea. I just hope that Hikari doesn't feel too overwhelmed by everything," Sora replied, finishing off her ice cream.

Yamato looked at his girlfriend with consideration. "Well, I guess we'll just have to get reacquainted then. She seems to trust Daisuke enough to allow him to accompany her on her search for answers. That says a lot."

The younger man plastered a fake smile on his face. "Of course. What's not to trust?"

The blonde haired man raised an eyebrow but didn't reply. "Well, it's getting late. Are you two staying anywhere?"

"I- Um, no." Daisuke hadn't considered where to stay and they weren't even in Odaiba yet. This flying by the seat of his pants thing sometimes didn't work out too well.

"Thought so. If you want, you can stay with us, and tomorrow, since it's Saturday, we'll go to Odaiba. Hopefully we'll meet the others there before going to the Digital World."

"You-you're offering us a place to stay?"

Yamato shrugged. "This seems to be an emergency. We'll even help you contact the others. Have you told Taichi about Hikari yet?"

The color washed away from the brunette's face. "Umm, no. I kind of wanted to wait….until maybe she had her memories back?"

"Taichi won't blame you for what happened. He'll be upset yes, but he'll be happy that you've been helping his sister. If there is anyone that has to worry about Taichi, it's whoever hurt Hikari."

Daisuke's face darkened as well at the very thought of what Hikari had been through. "He's not the only one to worry about."

"How have you been holding up?" Sora gave him a sympathetic smile as if she understood what he was going through.

"It's been rough. I've really missed her…. but she's not the same Hikari. She seems so dead inside. It just kills me each time I look at her and remember how she once was." Daisuke closed his eyes, trying to keep the threatening tears at bay. He drew a breath, thankful to be among friends. "I still want to help her regardless of everything and anything. Even if she is never the same again."

"That's just something you may have to accept, Daisuke." Yamato finished off his cone with a stern look in his eyes. "Something that all of us may have to accept."

"I'll see if I can get maybe a bit more information from her. No offense. But sometimes talking to another girl can help. She may tell me more than she told you," the lone female of the group said. "I don't know how much it'll help, but it'll be something. In the meantime, you two contact everyone and get the supplies we need."

"Might be a good idea, Sora. Thanks," Yamato said then turned back to the far side of the room where he could barely see Hikari sitting alone. "Hopefully, this will work. Taichi will not be happy to know what has happened to his sister."

The youngest member of the group nodded, knowing exactly how Taichi and even Yamato were probably feeling. Daisuke had a sneaking suspicion that Yamato regarded Hikari as much his own sibling as the rest of the elder Chosen Children simply because she was the baby of the group just like Takeru was. The only difference was that she was more fragile because she was ill at times when she was with the first group of Chosen Children. Luckily, her health improved by the time the adventures with the second group had begun.

Together the threesome left their corner and headed back over to the long lost Chosen of Light. They knew it would be very trying until she had her memories back, but all they could do was wait.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, they finally ran into Sora and Yamato. At first, it was just supposed to have been Sora, but Yamato decided to make an appearance after all. More will be shown on them in the next chapter as well as some of the other characters.

Thank you to those of you who have read and reviewed.


	6. Daydreams and Nightmares

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 6  
Daydreams and Nightmares  
By  
Sailor Janus

The small apartment Yamato and Sora shared was rather quaint, with a living room, tiny dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom. All of which was painted in soft cream tones with calm landscapes framed on the walls. Hikari chewed on her lip as she sat on the sofa next to Daisuke while he and Yamato chatted about music. Sora was in the kitchen making coffee.

Yamato addressed young woman with a nod. "I'm glad to see you again, Hikari. You have grown so much and have become quite a lovely woman."

She flushed at the compliment and bowed her head. "Thank you." It was still a bit difficult trying to get used to the friendly couple that insisted they have known her and her brother since they were children. Daisuke had shown her their photos in his wallet and suddenly tales of Yamato and Taichi's rocky friendship became the topic of discussion.

Hikari tried to pay attention, but the fact that she didn't have any memories of any of the events made things a bit difficult and equally confusing. She didn't really know what to say, so she just listened and nodded at the appropriate times.

Sora entered the room a moment later with a tray of four cups of steaming coffee, sugar and cream. She handed the younger woman a cup then gave one to Daisuke and her boyfriend before taking the last one for herself and setting the tray down on the coffee table. "How has college been, Hikari? Still studying to be a teacher?" She flipped a strand of red and blonde streaked hair off her shoulder as she took a seat next to Yamato.

"It's been good." The unsure young woman looked down in her cup and debated what she wanted to add to it.

Daisuke's brow twitched a bit as if he was about to say something but had thought better of it. Instead he added several spoonfuls of sugar to his coffee.

The blonde raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled a bit. "Would you like some coffee with that sugar, Daisuke?"

Sora giggled as well and lightly slapped Yamato's arm. "Stop it. Just because you can drink it straight doesn't mean that everyone should."

"I didn't say everyone should drink it black. I was only teasing Daisuke on the mountain of sugar that is dissolving in his cup."

"Hey, to each their own, man," the soccer star snickered. "I just prefer not to drink something that could bite me back."

The Chosen of Love added some cream and a teaspoon of sugar to her cup and laughed. "I have never heard that term used before."

"Then you have never had my sister's coffee." Yamato started sputtering at the mentioning of Jun. Daisuke gave the older Chosen Child a sympathetic look. "Uh, sorry. I guess I shouldn't have mentioned my crazy sister while you were drinking."

The blonde coughed a bit and took a deep breath. "It's okay. Just be more careful next time."

"How is Jun anyway?" The twenty-four year old woman stirred her cup with thought.

Daisuke shrugged. "Last I heard, she was in school for nursing after changing majors from business to psychology. She can't seem to make up her mind."

The blonde gave his girlfriend a look then stood up. "Daisuke, I think we should attend to our business now."

"Right." The brunette haired man hesitated as he rose to his feet. "Um, which should we do first?"

"Probably get the supplies. That way they will be taken care of in case anything unexpected happens."

Daisuke raised an eyebrow at that but finished off his coffee and turned to the Bearer of Light as he set the cup down on the table. He gave her a sincere smile and said as soothingly as if he were talking to a child, "I need to run a few errands with Yamato. Think you'll be okay, Hikari?"

She glanced briefly at Sora and nodded. "I think so. I mean, no one knows where I am, right? And you all insist that you have been my friends for years, so I should be okay, right?"

"Yeah, Sora will stay here with you and she can contact me on my cell phone if anything were to happen," the Chosen of Friendship said reassuringly. "We'll be back soon."

The younger leader paused briefly as he looked at the brown haired girl and after a moment gave a nod, "Yeah, we'll be back before you know it. In the meantime, you can talk to Sora. I'm sure there's some girly stuff you two can discuss."

The redhead threw him a glare. "Hey! Mimi is the girly one. Not me."

"Sorry, Sora. I was just joking. Lighten up." Daisuke chuckled as he and Yamato left the apartment leaving the two girls alone.

Hikari looked into her barely touched cup of coffee but said not a word. She was still greatly confused and her head was bothering her badly. She didn't really know what to do but wait. For what? She wasn't sure. _At least it's harder for Nitoni to find me now. _She shuddered with the thought of her ex and deep down hoped to never have to see his face ever again.

She was unaware that she had blanked out until she felt the sensation of someone's warm hand on her shoulder. The younger woman glanced up and realized that Sora was now sitting beside her.

"Hey, what's up? I haven't seen such a long face on you for years."

The Chosen of Light fingered a strand of hair nervously. "I- N-nothing. I'm fine. Just thinking. That's all."

Sora made a face and removed her hand from the young woman's shoulder. She looked out into the distance and nodded. "I see." She laughed lightly and Hikari turned toward her with an inquisitive expression on her face. "You never did share how you really felt. Even as a little girl. I remember the day that you fell ill. Everyone was so scared. Especially your brother. He blamed himself for it. But you always put a strong, fearless face forward as if nothing else mattered except the task at hand."

Hikari dropped her gaze to her lap. "I don't remember."

"I bet that's pretty rough. Not remembering things and all."

"Yeah. It's really confusing and frustrating. I keep having all these strange visions and dreams, some of them nice and others, horrifying. It's getting to the point where I don't want to sleep anymore."

Sora frowned at her confession and stood up. "I'm going to go get some crumb cake. Yamato is addicted to the stuff so you have got to try it."

"I'm not really hungry, but thank you."

The older woman however would hear none of it. "You are still going to have to take at least one bite. I'm having a small piece anyway since I'm on a diet."

Hikari looked at Sora as she retreated into the kitchen. "You look fine. You don't need to diet."

"Try telling that to my bathroom scale." A few minutes later, the redhead returned with two small plates with a sliver of cake each. "Moderation is the key to success."

The brunette accepted the dish and looked down at it. The cake looked really moist and smelled of sugar and spices. She could feel herself salivating over the dessert. Hikari shifted uncomfortable in her seat and glanced up at Sora who gestured for her to try it. _It would be rude to say no, so I guess I have no choice._ She picked up the fork and broke off a tiny piece then took a bite. Her brown eyes widened at the incredibly sweet flavor that filled her mouth.

"Good, isn't it?" Sora took a small bite as well.

Hikari nodded and soon realized that she had finished off her plate. She washed it down with her coffee and set the plate on the table. "I didn't think that I'd actually finish it."

"Now you see why I gave you such a small piece. It's easy to eat too much of it because you enjoy it so much."

"Yes, it is. Now I feel like such a glutton." She glanced down at her hands and fell silent.

"It's okay to indulge once in a while. Just as long as it's not more often than not."

The Child of Light stared at the plate and felt tears well up in her eyes. _Nitoni used to make cakes and other foods. Especially for the holidays and birthdays. _She could recall a particularly rich cheesecake that could make a five star restaurant die of envy. Unconsciously, she touched her bandaged arm. She was thankful to have had a change of clothes in her bag that way she didn't have to wear her destroyed and dirty clothing, but she still knew what had happened to her. The memory replayed in her head several more times until she slid off the sofa, clutching her head and began sobbing uncontrollably as Sora watched in terror.

* * *

The florescent lighting of the store did nothing to lift Daisuke's mood as he trailed after Yamato on the quest to find the necessary items for a trip to the Digital World. Luckily there was a large store nearby that had pretty much everything so they didn't have to wander across town.

"Daisuke, you're being rather quiet," his blonde companion said, pushing a shopping cart down an aisle filled with camping goods.

The brunette blinked and scratched the back of his head in a nervous gesture. "Sorry, I was playing with some strategies in my head for the next soccer game."

"Uh huh." Yamato snatched a few small flashlights off a rack and dropped them in the cart. He paused a moment as if considering what to say next. "I don't think I have ever seen Hikari that depressed before."

Daisuke raised an eyebrow at his friend's abrupt statement and contemplated whether or not he was making a hidden reference to himself. "So you noticed it too."

"That boyfriend must have done a number on her. She's very much withdrawn even for someone without their memories."

"She cries a lot too," the soccer player softly said. Yamato looked at his down turned face and gripped the shopping cart.

"Don't blame yourself. I know how you can be, Daisuke and beating yourself up over something you couldn't prevent is not going to help either of you. You have to be strong." The musician drew a breath and tossed a sleeping bag, three first aid kits, and a box of matches in the cart. "I know it's got to hurt something awful but if you fall apart, so will Hikari. You just have to believe that you can help her."

The Bearer of Miracles dropped his gaze to the floor. "What good will that do? I can't do a damn thing to help her. Instead I have to sit there and watch her die a bit each time." He scowled at the shiny tiled floor as if it was its fault that everything was such a mess. "Yeah, she sometimes has her moments where she seems like the old Hikari. But it's short lived and comes as goes as fast as a flash of lightening." At that moment he wanted something to punch; anything to prevent the downpour of tears that wished to fall.

Yamato studied his glum friend and patted him on the back. "You can get through this. Both of you. Remember five years ago-"

"I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER!" Daisuke was breathing heavily, his brown eyes were wild and wet, as the tears finally won the battle. His face had a reddish tone and he balled his hands into fists, pressing them against his face. He didn't care if the whole store heard him. If he got thrown out, so be it. He didn't live near there anyway.

The Chosen of Friendship stood flabbergasted as he stared in shock at the upset young man. He could still remember when the Bearer of Miracles was a bouncing ball of energy with a smile consistently plastered to his face. Seeing him this destroyed was surreal and even horrifying. "Daisuke…"

"Just, leave me alone, Yamato. Just…. leave me alone." The leader of the second group of Chosen Children collapsed to his knees as if his will to continue had just died.

"Shit." Yamato couldn't remove his blue eyes from the soccer player when suddenly his cell phone went off. The blonde snapped out of his stunned stupor and quickly retrieved the phone. He was relieved to see on his caller ID that it was his girlfriend. "Sora! Am I glad to hear from you! We have a problem-"

"Hikari has completely lost it." The Chosen of Love jumped in complete panic. "She says she's afraid to sleep, has been crying for the past fifteen minutes and hasn't stopped. I just don't know what to do-"

"What?" Yamato interrupted. "Double shit. Daisuke is a complete basket case at the moment. I think things are a lot worse than we could have ever anticipated. He doesn't even want to remember the past. It seems like he's trying to shut things out."

"That's horrible. So what are we going to do?"

The blonde haired man paused for a moment. "We need to contact the others immediately. Email, call, do whatever you can. They can all bunk at our place for all I care, we just need to do something fast." He looked down at Daisuke who seemed to be calming down a bit. It was highly evident that the guy was emotionally drained and considering the state that Hikari was in, who wouldn't be in his situation? "Contact Taichi first, he might be able to help his sister. The last thing I want is for either of those two to get any worse."

"Yes, losing either of them would be an absolute tragedy." Sora paused for a moment then added, "Okay, I'll go call everyone. Will you be home soon?"

"As soon as I scrape up what's left of Daisuke," he bitterly said. The couple said a quick goodbye before setting off on their tasks. Yamato drifted his gaze over to the Chosen Child on the floor and shook his head. He could still remember the countless times he had lost it in the Digital World over Takeru. He twitched a bit, recalling his brother then pushed the anger away. Daisuke was more important at the moment.

He knelt over the young man and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Daisuke. It's okay. I know you are having a rough time with Hikari and all, but we need to go back now. Sora just called and she needs us."

The soccer player lifted his head. Fearful, wide, red-rimmed eyes looked up at the musician through a pale face. "What happened?"

"Sora says Hikari has been crying nonstop. She doesn't know what triggered it, or what to do. So she's going to get in contact with the others and see if we can figure out what to do for her."

"I guess you two are really worried about Hikari to be rounding up the troops."

Yamato nodded. "Hikari is not the only one we're worried about."

Daisuke sighed as if he knew what Yamato was trying to discretely say and wiped his face off. "So I guess we should pay for this stuff then help Hikari. Right. Well, we better get moving then." He gathered himself off the floor with a look of pure determination on his face.

The blonde shook his head at the other man. As long as he knew Daisuke, he had seen many sides to the protégé of his best friend. This particular one reminded him very much of the true leader of the second group of Chosen Children who had defeated BelialVamdemon many years back. Hopefully, this side would remain the strongest until they figured out what to do about Hikari.

* * *

Sora gripped the cordless phone in her hand as she gazed down at the sobbing young woman. If she didn't stop soon, she would more than likely make herself sick. The older woman wanted to try to comfort her, but didn't know how. At that moment she knew first hand what Daisuke had been going through and honestly couldn't blame him for breaking down like he did. She had a feeling that there was more to it than that, but it was still a large chunk. _Come on, Taichi. Pick up, damn it._

At that moment the sound of the door being unlocked drew her attention from the phone as an anxious Daisuke swept into the room, kicked his shoes off, and approached the fearful Hikari. Sora glanced up helplessly as her boyfriend closed the door behind him, juggling several bags at a time.

"Hello? Hello, anyone there?"

The young woman blinked and nearly dropped the phone as a confused voice spoke from the other line. "Taichi? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Who's this?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. "It's Sora. Listen, I don't have much time to explain but can you get over here. We're at the apartment and your presence would be greatly appreciated."

"What's going on over there? Is something wrong? I can hear crying in the background."

Sora bit her lip, trying to think of a way to explain things to the leader without giving him a heart attack. "To put things simply, Daisuke found Hikari and she's over here."

Silence flooded the other line for a moment. "You're joking, right?"

Yamato snatched the phone from his girlfriend's hand. "It's no joke, man. Hikari is here and she's a bit upset. Daisuke has been trying to take care of her, but…." The Chosen of Friendship sighed deeply. "You're going to have to come here to see for yourself. Bring your Digital World gear. We have a feeling we'll being visiting there very soon."

"Okay. I'm on my way."

The phone suddenly went dead and Yamato hung it up. "Maybe I should have tried to put it a little more delicately. He's probably going to run red lights and drive as though his hair was on fire."

Sora plucked the phone from his grasp. "I'll call Ken and Miyako next since she was pretty close to them, not to mention, poor Daisuke could use a friend that actually understood him at the moment."

The blonde drifted his gaze over to the young man who was kneeling next to Hikari as she continued to cry herself nearly to the point of exhaustion. He was holding a stuffed white cat in his hands and talking softly to her. "Both of them look like they're barely holding on by a thread. I have a strong suspicion that Daisuke hasn't been sleeping and seems to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. This is very bad. Just what the hell happened?"

"I wish I knew."

Yamato sighed and began dialing Koushiro's number.

* * *

Daisuke looked at Hikari with a worried expression on his face. She looked paler than when he had left her almost an hour ago. He didn't know what to do and honestly admitted that he was afraid. He felt like she was wilting away like a flower and no matter what he tried, she wouldn't respond. It was as though she was slowly dying and there wasn't a single way to reverse the process. Her puffy eyes had dark rings under them, giving her a corpse-like appearance. He was even terrified at the prospect of feeling ice cold skin if he tried to touch her. Instead he stayed by her side, rocking back and forth slightly on the balls of his feet as if preparing to spring at some offensive entity any moment.

"It's okay, Hikari." He choked on his words, suddenly feeling very ill himself. He wanted to comfort her, but doubted that she'd actually let him. He'd have to content to the distance she allowed between them. "No one is going to hurt you. I promise. No one else knows where you are and you're among friends. You don't have to be scared. It's okay."

The young woman however didn't respond and continued crying. Her whole body shook as she sobbed on. Her knees were pressed to her chest, concealing her face as she hugged them tightly. Small drops of blood trickled from her clenched fists as she ground her nails into the palms of her hands.

The Chosen of Miracles winced at the blood falling from her hands. Whatever triggered it did a good job. He quickly grabbed her hands, not caring about the consequences so long as she stopped trying to hurt herself.

"LET GO!" Hikari struggled to release her hands from his grasp and met him with a slap across his face, smearing her own blood on Daisuke's skin in the process. "Leave me, alone. Please. Just leave me alone," she said through heart wrenching sobs. A brief second later she stumbled to her feet and raced for the balcony.

"HIKARI!" Yamato and Sora watched dumbfounded as the young woman streaked across the living room and threw the door open then stepped outside.

The brown haired Child of Light only had a brief moment to lean over the railing before a pair of strong arms encircled her small frame, holding her tight. "Hikari, stop. Don't do it. Please don't."

She was about to retaliate when something warm and wet hit the back of her neck. It was only then that she realized that the young man that had been trying to help her ever since day one of her life being turned upside down was crying. Something in her shattered and her knees went completely numb. More than anything she did not know what to do and barely noticed that he had fallen to his knees hugging her tight as if she was all that mattered in the world and this action confused her.

"Daisuke, are you okay?" Sora stepped out onto the porch crouched down next to the Bearer of Miracles who looked like he was continuing his emotional breakdown.

Yamato walked to the door and shook his head. "We should get them inside before-" Suddenly a loud rapping at the door interrupted him mid-sentence. "Damn it, Taichi is here."

"Well, go let him in. There is nothing we can do right now. Maybe he can snap her out of it."

The blonde nodded begrudgingly and went back into the living room then unlocked the front door only to reveal a rather frantic and panic-stricken Yagami Taichi. His hair was a bit shorter than he remembered, slightly slicked back. He was dressed in a pale blue dress shirt and black slacks, looking rather professional despite the fact that his necktie was half undone as was the shirt. It was still odd to see the twenty-four year old leader dressed in such a fashion.

"Where is she? Where is my sister?" Taichi looked expectantly at Yamato who stepped aside to allow his best friend inside.

"The balcony with Daisuke. Neither of them are in too good of a shape at the moment."

The older Chosen leader nodded, and headed off in the direction as the blonde trailed after. He said a brief hello to Sora and froze at the sight of his protégé holding his sister.

* * *

Taichi gaped in horror at how sickly they both looked. Hikari's skin had a chalky tone to it. Her once vibrant eyes were now swollen and puffy behind a dull lifeless brown. Even her hair had lost its glow. It was as though she was a lifeless doll that Daisuke was clinging to as if he were drowning. The young man didn't look too much better though. The tan that normally bronzed his skin from countless days of playing soccer seemed faded. Large dark rings hung under his fear filled eyes. Something that Taichi could never recall being written on Daisuke's face. A red blotch that looked like blood was smeared across one red cheek, indicating that perhaps his sister had slapped him at one point. "Oh, man."

The Chosen of Courage at that point found he had no courage. All he could do was stand there and stare. Yamato placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and pushed him a bit in his sister's direction. Taichi could only suck in a breath as he approached the distraught young woman. "Hey, Hikari. Guess who?" He plastered a fake smile on his face in hopes that she would relax at seeing her older brother acting as he always had.

She lifted her gaze and frowned in confusion. More tears flooded her eyes and she tried to blink them away. "Taichi? Is that you?"

This prompted Daisuke to look up as well. He relaxed his grip on Hikari a bit as if knowing that perhaps things would be okay now. "Taichi," he said through a strangled voice.

"Hey, Daisuke." Taichi kneeled in front of his little sister who wasn't exactly so little anymore. "I've missed you, Hikari and I am so glad to see you're okay."

She paused for a moment before throwing her arms around her brother and began sobbing in his shirt as she squeezed him tightly. Daisuke pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face in them, rocking back and forth a bit.

"It's okay, Hikari. I'm here." Her older brother rubbed her back soothingly and she cried on. He glanced down at the younger man and wondered if Daisuke was simply trying to pull himself back together. At least for now, everything should be all right.

* * *

Author's Notes: That did not go the way I thought it would. Daisuke was not supposed to have a breakdown and neither was Hikari, but well, the story is writing itself at this point so I really have no control in what's going on. Hopefully it'll stop being so dramatic soon. I didn't really expect this much angst when I started writing it. Well, another Chosen Child will be paying them a visit in the next chapter.

Thank you to those of you who have reviewed.


	7. Emotions

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 7  
Emotions  
By  
Sailor Janus

After several minutes of tears, everyone went back inside. Taichi sat on the floor facing his sister as he wrapped her hands back up. He contented to Daisuke sitting next to her. After all, if it hadn't been for the leader of the second group of Chosen Children, he may not a sister to fix up. Yamato continued trying to reach their comrades as Sora was making a batch of tea.

"Hikari, I want you to listen to me," Taichi began with a rather serious look on his face as he finished taping up her left hand. "I know you don't like to bring other people into your problems, but please tell us what happened to you. Why are you so upset? I promise that I'll do all I can to make things better and if you want, we don't have to tell Mom and Dad. Okay?"

The young woman glanced at her brother and turned away as if ashamed. "You don't want to know."

Taichi sighed and sat on the other side of her. Daisuke at this point was staring off into space. He'd have to have a talk with him next. "From what the others say, you were attacked, is that true? By an ex-boyfriend?"

Hikari sucked in a breath and focused on her freshly bandaged hands. "Yes, it wasn't official since I was still living with him because I had no place to go."

"Okay, that's a start. What happened?"

"He-he was a chef and thought that everything was more important than me. I lived with him for two years and knew him for three. Things were good for a while, then something went wrong and I ended up being ignored and isolated at the apartment. All the money I made at my stupid part-time job went towards bills while he could spend his on whatever he desired." She paused a moment and took a few shallow breaths. "He told me he loved me, but never really showed it anymore. Then I found out one day that he had been cheating on me with people online."

Taichi nodded and said dryly, "I'll bet that it was some big breasted, blonde bimbo with long legs, and the IQ the size of her cup size."

"Taichi! Don't be a pig," Sora said as she set the tray of tea down on the coffee table and glared at him.

Hikari's head snapped up at the sound of a new voice, but didn't seem to mind the other woman hearing the conversation. She gave her a small smile as if suggesting her to stay before she continued. "Well, it was actually another man and half the time I was sitting next to Nitoni while he talked with the guy on the computer. He never acted the least bit guilty."

"Oh. Well, I take back what I said earli…wait. He was cheating on you with you sitting right next to him in plain sight? I don't care who the guy is or who he prefers but that is just sick! You don't cheat on someone especially when the other person is in the same damn room sitting right next to you….not that I've ever cheated on anyone before…but that is wrong and really rude." Taichi stared at his sister with the silliest look she had ever seen on his face in a mixture of bewilderment and disgust. Daisuke wore a similar expression. He paused a moment, cleared his throat, and scratched his head. "Aside from all that, why did he care if you left him or not since he wasn't interested in you anymore to begin with?"

" I don't know. He never brought it up and pretty much treated me more like a pet or a sister than anything else. But he still insisted he loved me even though more often than not, he'd ignore me, yet he had to know my whereabouts at all times. I felt like a child yet I was the one spending more than my share of money on bills. I couldn't even buy a book without feeling guilty about the idea of possibly not having enough money left to pay the bills. I just didn't understand it. I still don't. He was never honest with me on anything. Sometimes I wonder if he was just using me as a cover or something…" She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head. "Well, I-I was getting tired of him and the lying and the sneaking. At that point I refused to eat the food he brought home to me from work. I didn't care if it was my only meal for the day, I just didn't want anything from him. After a while I decided to leave. I mean why should he care where I go? He has enough to live off of. The-the-then things got worse." Her voice grew weaker as she continued to recount the events of the faithful day she ran into Daisuke. Hikari paused for a moment drawing a shaky breath as she finished retelling the rest of the day. She bit her lip and seemed panicked as she struggled to say anymore. Tears soaked her brown eyes again and she squirmed uneasily in her seat.

Taichi noticed the immediate change and gave her a reassuring smile, trying to prompt her onward. He rubbed her back, causing her to jump in shock. "It's okay, Hikari. Just spit it out. The sooner you do so, the better chance we have of helping you."

She drew a deep breath and released it slowly. "A-as the days passed, I guess I became more and more depressed. I stopped eating all together started scratching myself…and-and had some occasional thoughts when things were bad. Th-then one day, the day I was found again, Nitoni snapped. I don't know why, but he did. I was so terrified… I was just trying to leave the room, and he accused me of attempting to leave him again. I-I argued against it and he said something about us being like Romeo and Juliet then he tried to stab me with a letter opener. I moved at the last second s-so it grazed my arm instead. He-he tried to pull it out, b-but it was stuck…so he-he decided to strangle me instead." Tears fell from her eyes and she began to shake. "I-I-I tried to make him let me go. Finally I managed to knee him in the groin and punched him in the face. Th-then I ran into the bedroom, grabbed my stuff, and jumped out of the window. I-I-I didn't care where I went as long as I was away from him. He-he-he tried to kill me. Twice. He never hit me before or anything so the least thing I expected was him trying to k-k-k-kill me." Hikari broke off, barely able to speak anymore as she began to sob again. "W-w-why? If he didn't love me, why did he-he want me? He didn't need me. Why couldn't he j-j-just let me go? I just wanted to go."

By the time she had finished her story however, both Taichi and Daisuke and even Yamato appeared ready to hunt the guy down and kill him with their bare hands. Neither of them said it, but it was very evident that the Chosen of Light had been merely used as a tool and nothing more. It also seemed that Nitoni had an obsessive compulsive problem and made it seem to him that she was piece of property for him to do as he pleased with no matter how unpleasant for her it was. This realization was best unmentioned for the moment until Hikari had a chance to come to term with things and heal.

The Chosen of Courage instead drew a breath and placed his hands on his sisters. "Listen to me, Hikari. I know you've been through a lot, but you should know that you can trust everyone in this room. In fact there are seven or eight other people that you can trust and would not dream of hurting you. Not to mention, your ex has no clue where you are now. You're safe."

The young woman sniffled and looked at her brother with tear-stained eyes. "If you say so."

"Yamato and Sora through the years have thought of you as much their little sister as my own. The same goes for Koushiro, Mimi, and Jyou."

Hikari bit her lip and glanced briefly at the other young man sitting quietly next to her. "And what about him?" She gestured towards the younger leader with an inquiring look on her face.

Taichi froze for a moment as he contemplated just what to tell his baby sister who still did not remember a single thing of her youth. He turned to Yamato and Sora who both shrugged in response. "Well, Daisuke is pretty much the best friend you have ever had. He's been with you through thick and thin and as you can could see, he won't leave you hanging." He paused then added, "In fact, I think I need to have a talk with him right about now."

Daisuke shifted his gaze towards the Chosen of Courage and blinked in surprised. "Now?"

"It's as good a time as any, Daisuke."

The spiky haired brunette stood up and hesitantly followed Taichi out onto the balcony leaving Hikari with alone with Sora as Yamato trailed after the other two men.

Daisuke gazed out into the streets as the older Chosen Children shut the door behind him. His mouth quirked into a smirk and he folded his arms behind his head as he addressed the other two young men. "So, are we having a male bonding session or what?"

"You know exactly why we wanted to talk to you," Yamato firmly said, withdrawing a cigarette from the package in his pocket. He lit it and shrugged as Taichi raised an eyebrow at him.

"No, I don't. All I know is everyone is worried about Hikari, but who wouldn't be?"

"Damn it, Daisuke. We're concerned about you." Yamato lit his cigarette and took a long drag off it. "You constantly do this and it's not healthy."

"Neither is what you're doing," the younger man scoffed in reply earning a glare from the musician.

Taichi scratched his head and shuffled his feet. "Look, everyone knows you care about Hikari. A lot. No matter how hard you may try to deny it or push the memories of the past away, the evidence is still there. You need to stop trying to forget everything and remember how things used to be."

"Like either of you actually do that." Daisuke narrowed his eyes at his friends, feeling sick and tired of being the one that was always interrogated and preached to. "Taichi, you're trying to hide behind a suit and pretend to be something you're not. Yamato is living in a dream of being a rock star while working at minimum wages jobs to just make ends meet! He barely talks to Sora who seems to have some sort of complex going on with her as well and I can't forget to mention the fact that he and the baby brother whom he once adored, NOW HATE EACH OTHER!"

The response the hotheaded Chosen Child was greeted with was a solid punch in the face. Taichi then grabbed Yamato, trying to restrain him before a full fight could break out.

"Knock it off, both of you." The leader closed his eyes and shook his head. "This is ridiculous and is in no way going to help Hikari." He growled under his breath and pulled his best friend back a bit. "Both of you need to calm down now."

"He's the one who hit me," Daisuke hissed, gingerly touching his cheek. "I just want to know why the hell he's not talking to Takeru."

"And it's none of your business," Yamato glowered. "You're too busy crying over Hikari to notice anything, anyway."

It was Daisuke's turn to snap. Without even thinking he shoved the blonde as hard as he could, sending Taichi stumbling to the ground on his butt in the process. The Chosen of Friendship then grabbed the younger Chosen Child by the shirt and shook him roughly. Daisuke spat at him, too blinded by anger to care any less as fire ignited in his brown eyes. "I'm sick of you people treating me like I'm a stupid half-wit. You're the one who hasn't spoken to your brother and from the looks of it, it's got to be a really pathetic reason."

"You shouldn't talk," Yamato threw a punch at the other man who evaded it. "You don't know what's it's like."

"Really? News flash, Yamato. Takeru still has his damn memories. Hikari has absolutely no clue who the hell I am. She at least knows who her own brother is. But everything else? Scratched." The Bearer of Miracles tightened his grip on Yamato's shirt with one hand. "So what has gone wrong between you and Takeru?"

"None of your business."

The fight continued on and didn't halt until Daisuke got socked in the gut and fell to his knees. He gasped and glanced up only to realize that Hikari was standing in the doorway looking at them. Her face was blank, although there was a rather eerie glow in her eyes. "Hi-Hikari?"

She took a shaky step forward and continued to stare out into space as though she couldn't see at all. Her voice became high and child-like as she spoke, reminding them slightly of the younger Hikari. "D-Digimon."

Taichi's jaw dropped and he searched around, but there were no sign of any digital monsters. "Where? Do you see any digimon, Hikari?"

Yamato frowned at Daisuke. "I thought you said she didn't remember digimon."

The younger man scratched his head as a confused expressed crossed his face. "She didn't."

The young woman took another step forward and point at her brother. "Surrendered." She then turned to Yamato and did the same. "Loathing." Then it was Daisuke's turn. "Doubting." After that she faced the apartment where Sora was still inside trying to contact the other Chosen Children. "Insecure." Lastly touched her chest, placing her hand over her heart and closed her eyes as if pained. "Fearful."

"Hikari? Are you okay?" Her brother for the first time in the long time felt rather anxious about his sister. Something about her actions was oddly familiar.

She didn't reply to his question and instead lifted her face to the sky. The wind abruptly picked up, whipping her long hair across her face as she continued. "Withdrawn. Uncertain. Hiding. Despair. Angry. Denial. Lost. Vindictive. Afraid. Worthlessness. Apathy. Self-blame. Broken. Trapped. Hateful." Suddenly she began to emit a faint glow. "Crying. Desperate. Help."

Everyone was so thunderstruck that they didn't realize that she was falling to the ground. Quickly Daisuke slid on his knees and caught her. He looked at her now pale face and peered back up at his two friends who seemed to be trying to shake themselves out of whatever it was that Hikari was trying to tell them. "What was that all about?"

Yamato was the first to actually respond and leaned back against the railing in thought. "I'm not sure. It sounded like she was addressing an emotion with each of us at the beginning but the others…. she said more than twelve."

"Maybe some of the digimon fit into the description? I mean she did say digimon. Maybe the others were for one or more digimon." Taichi got to his feet and shook his head then winced in pain. "The next time you two decide to duke it out, I'm staying as far away as possible with a cell phone handy to call the emergency room if need be."

"Sorry," the Chosen of Miracles said softly, still cradling Hikari in his arms. He pursed his lips and narrowed his brow. "I guess we really are going to the Digital World if Hikari said Digimon."

"What?" Her eyes fluttered open and she glanced around as if perplexed over her surroundings. "How-how did I get here?"

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" She touched her head and groaned. "Ow. My head hurts." It was only at that moment that she realized that Daisuke was holding her. "Um, can you let me go?" There was a faint tint in her cheeks as she bit her lip.

The young man blinked then frantically obliged, not wanting to make her anymore uncomfortable than she already was. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I guess I must have fainted again." She sighed and ran her hands over her face. "I really need to stop doing that or one of these days I'll wake up with a concussion."

"Better than being in a coma. Otherwise, you wouldn't wake up for a while," Daisuke shrugged. Hikari raised an eyebrow at him and appeared as if she were trying to determine whether he was being serious or attempting to make a joke.

"Let's get you back inside." Taichi rose to his feet and approached the glass sliding door only to find himself face to face with Takaishi Takeru, the Chosen of Hope. "Hey, Takeru."

The younger blonde haired man shuffled his feet nervously and dug his hands deep into the pockets of his large jeans. He wished he hadn't been so impulsive to take a taxi over to his brother's place, but by the time he thought of turning on his heel and head back to his dorm, he was already at the front door knocking. Takeru concentrated on the floor, trying to avoid his older brother's gaze. "Hi, Taichi. I don't think I'm going to stay long, but I just wanted to see how Hikari was doing. Sora seemed kind of frantic on the phone so I decided to come by."

The young woman stepped past her brother and blinked at she looked at Chosen Child that was practically like her twin brother once, but her eyes showed no recognition in them. "Hello. Um, I'm sorry, but I don't remember who you are."

Takeru's mouth fell open as he took in Hikari's appearance. She had definitely grown up and looked more beautiful than he could last remember, but that description stopped when his blue eyes discovered the lack of glow to her skin and eyes. _Sora is right. She does look half dead._ He realized a moment later that he was staring. Quickly, he plastered a grin on his face and ran a hand through his hair. "It's okay. I'm Takaishi Takeru. We were friends when we were kids. I just heard you had been through a lot so I decided to drop by, but I'll see you tomorrow."

Daisuke gently brushed by Hikari and walked up to Takeru. He narrowed his gaze at the blonde and cocked his head to the side. "Hey, Takeru. I need to discuss something with you outside. Right now."

The other young man blinked, but found himself yanked away and out the front door by his shirt cuff. "Daisuke, what are you doing? If this is about Hikari-"

"Why is it that whenever I want to talk about something, people always think it's about Hikari? It's getting really annoying." The spiky haired brunette stopped dragging the Bearer of Hope once they were a good distance away from the apartment. He turned his face towards the sky and took a deep breath.

Takeru watched him for a moment and withdrew a cigarette from his shirt pocket. "So, what do you want to talk about then?"

Daisuke glanced towards the writer who was lighting his cigarette and raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to be Yamato's clone or something?"

That earned the Chosen Child leader a cold glare. "Shut up. I don't want to discuss my damn older brother. Shit, I knew this was going to happen. I shouldn't have come."

"You swear now too? Gee, the world really is going down the toilet."

Takeru scoffed. "Who doesn't swear nowadays anyway?"

"Hikari doesn't fit under that list anymore."

The Chosen of Hope nearly choked. "No way. She used to get at you when we were in high school, even if all you said was damn."

"Yeah, well that's changed even more."

"Oh, wow. Has Taichi heard her?"

"No. Good thing too. So far she has only said 'damn' around him, and that started back in high school. Not such a big deal since she'd say it off and on when frustrated about something."

Takeru nodded as he snickered. "Namely, you."

Daisuke's face fell and he turned away. "I don't want to talk about it. It's only the past after all."

This sobered Takeru up as he studied his friend's slacked shoulders. It was very evident that the leader of his group of Chosen Children had been through a lot, more than likely just in dealing with Hikari's condition. That plus her lack of memories had to hurt worse than breaking every bone in his body. "I see." He looked up and swore to the sky. "Some friends we are. We've been so worried about Hikari that we completely forgot about how you felt about everything."

"Takeru, drop it."

"Look, I know I'm not Ken, but you can talk to me. After all, it's not like I'm your rival or anything. You can trust me."

"I don't want to get into it."

"Man, I could go for a drink right now. This is just too much."

Daisuke looked at Takeru in disbelief. "You drink too? What the hell happened?"

"I find myself asking that question a lot." He took a long drag off his cigarette. "I mean, Yamato and I were pretty good friends as brothers then when I get to college, his college by the way, boom. I hate his guts. He was Mr. Popularity and I was just a shadow."

"So, then what? Did you two just stop talking or something?"

"Can't really remember. Then I decided that maybe if I were more like him, people would like me more. Of course, now I realize that people don't like a poser."

Daisuke chuckled at that revelation. "Nope, they don't."

"So…. we really are going back to the Digital World tomorrow?"

"Yeah, which is why I think you and Yamato should make up, otherwise if something were to happen you'd never forgive yourselves."

Takeru nodded thoughtfully and snuffed out the remains of his cigarette. "Like Ken."

"Yeah. Wonder how he's really doing."

"I guess we'll find out." Takeru raised an eyebrow at his companion. "Didn't you used to smoke?"

"Yeah, but I made a promise with Hikari that I'd give it up as long as she keeps eating. For every meal she skips, I get to smoke one cigarette."

The blonde laughed that answer. "I should have known."

Daisuke smiled a bit and looked up into the night sky. "She's had it rough though. That bastard of a boyfriend she had did a real number on her." He then told Takeru everything she had explained to them earlier about what had been going on in her life.

The Chosen of Hope dropped his gaze to the ground and shook his head sadly. "She didn't deserve that."

"I know." The soccer player sighed and kicked a lamppost. "Let's get back inside. It's getting late."

Takeru threw him a look. "You just want me to make up with my brother," he said dryly.

"There's no time like the present," Daisuke smirked.

The two friends then turned around and headed back for the Ishida/Takenouchi residence. Each young man hoping for a better turn out than what they had started with.

* * *

Sora placed the phone back on its cradle and yawned. At long last she was done. She had spoken to each of their Chosen Children friends and from the sound of it they would all meet up in Odaiba at their usual park around noon. "Well, Mimi is bringing Michael and they're flying here as we speak. The others will meet us at the park tomorrow since they need to pack and everything."

"It's good that everyone is taking this seriously," Yamato replied from his place at the table. He glanced over to the sofa where Taichi was sitting with Hikari who was half leaning on the arm, curled up into a ball, and humming softly to herself. Her brother looked even more out of it than she did, staring at the wall.

At that moment the front door opened as Daisuke and Takeru walked inside. "We're back," the brunette said cheerfully as he and the blonde took their shoes off.

"I thought Takeru was leaving," Yamato coolly said eying his brother with disapproval.

"He thought that too until I talked to him and speaking of talking, I know of two brothers that should be doing that right now and since Taichi and I both have a sister, that leaves you two." Daisuke grinned at the bewildered expression on Yamato's face. "Hey, since we have to go to the Digital World tomorrow, it'll be best to clear anything that needs clearing up since we don't know what exactly is going on in there and one Ken is more than enough."

The older blonde looked at the young man with a pair of sunglasses on his head where goggles once had been and sighed. "Fine. Takeru, let's go outside. I don't think you've had enough fresh air."

"Right," the younger Chosen Child nodded with a slight groan as he followed his brother to the balcony doors when suddenly the sound of someone singing a rather familiar song distracted them along the way.

Daisuke froze as if he were electrocuted and stood gaping at the soft voice as Taichi turned his head and stared stupefied at his sister as she sang.

After a few brief notes to _Every Little Thing She Does_, Hikari looked up and flushed as she realized that everyone was staring at her. "Sorry. Was I that bad?"

"No, no, Hikari. You were great…. It's just that song…" Taichi glanced over at Daisuke who still resembled a marble statue except with really wide eyes and an open mouth.

"You don't like the song?"

"No!" Sora shifted her gaze briefly towards the still stunned young man and fidgeted. "It's just…."

"Why did you decide to choose that song?" Takeru appeared to be as spooked as the others in the room.

Hikari frowned. "Why are you guys making such a big deal? I like the song. That's all."

Yamato crossed his arms and tried to be as sincere as possible. "Yes, and that's fine, but do you remember where you heard it since it's an American song?"

The young woman thought of it for a moment and shook her head. "No, but it kind of gives me a warm fuzzy feeling." She smiled and covered her face as if she were afraid she would start blushing again.

Daisuke's breath caught in his throat. "A _good_ feeling?"

"I suppose you could call it that."

Sora hurried from the kitchen and thrust a glass of water into Daisuke's hand. "Drink."

He nodded silently, not removing his eyes from Hikari for a second. The cool water did help with the spinning sensation that was threatening his head. He looked at Sora and mouthed 'Sweet Sixteen.'

She smiled at him and patted his shoulder in a motherly fashion. "I know. Maybe she is starting to remember."

"But she said she can't remember why she knew the song."

"She said it gave her a happy feeling, didn't it?"

Daisuke focused on the floor hoping that _he_ wouldn't blush next. "I suppose, but I doubt doing a reenactment of her 16th birthday party would do any good…although it would be amusing to see Takeru do _I'm Too Sexy_, again."

"Don't count on it." Takeru glared at the spiky haired young man. "And I only did it because you _dared _me. Remember?"

"It was still a damn good show." A mischievous smirk lit up his face. "And I could always dare you to do it again, buddy."

"Uh huh. We'll see about that."

"Come on you two, it was fun and that was the point," Sora pointed out.

Daisuke's face fell as he remembered what Hikari's Sweet Sixteen entailed and suddenly he didn't want to skip down memory lane any longer. "Guys, I don't want to talk about this anymore. It's not fair to Hikari."

Taichi raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing since the expression on his protégé's face was a faint smile to mask the pain he felt on the inside. Instead he glanced at his sister who was now staring at the floor. "Are you okay, Hikari?"

"It feels familiar, but not." She fingered a long strand of hair and bit her lip.

"Well, things are a bit different, but that's okay. It's been a few years since you last saw everyone." Her brother gave her a reassuring smile, which she didn't return. He leaned back against the couch and sighed.

Yamato nodded at the writer and gestured towards the balcony door. "We'll be outside if you need us."

"Yeah, just holler if you need anything," Takeru trailed after and closed the door behind them.

Daisuke turned back to the Chosen of Light only to discover that she had fallen asleep. He smiled lightly and took another gulp of water. Maybe she would actually be able to rest peacefully this time for a change. He could only wonder what tomorrow would bring them next; hopefully the answers to their questions.

* * *

Author's Notes: Please remember, that it has been several years since the season two, so yes, they do seem a bit out of character, though you can still see bits and pieces of their personality from the series still present, but as I have previously stated, everything in this story happens for a reason and something things may change while other may not. There is a lot more going on in this story than meets the eye.

Also, I apologize if this chapter is not edited to my normal quality, but I have had the flu so my editing skills may not be too well.

Oh, regarding _Everything She Does,_ the full scene is on Mediaminer under the same penname since you can't use song lyrics here.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.


	8. Blinded

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 8  
Blinded  
By  
Sailor Janus

The night air became a bit chillier as Yamato and Takeru stepped outside onto the balcony. The two brothers glanced briefly at each other and then chose separate places to stand. The youngest stood against the railing as the musician positioned himself against the wall.

Yamato dug out a cigarette and raised an eyebrow as his brother did the same. He then shrugged, lit it, and took a long drag. "So, how's school?"

Takeru fidgeted a moment and stared down at the streets below. "Okay, I guess."

"Professors treating you okay?"

"Yeah, other than the fact that they hate my stuff. I have to write literary fiction, not like you know what that means, but it really sucks."

The Chosen of Friendship ran a hand through his hair. His blue eyes studied his brother carefully. It felt odd to be talking to him in such a distant tone. Perhaps things would be better afterwards. "They're probably jealous."

"You're just saying that." Takeru scoffed as he leaned over the railing and sighed. "I'm a horrible writer. Everyone thinks so. I should just go into business like everyone else that has a brain."

Yamato snorted. "Yeah, and most of those people end up miserable or go into something totally outside of what they majored in." He turned to his brother and wished he could look him in the eye. "Takeru, you have a gift and I'm not just saying it because I'm your brother. Look, I kind of understand you probably feel like you're stuck behind my shadow but you are your own person; an extremely intelligent and good person. There is no need to try to be what you aren't."

The younger man glowered in response. "What, have you been talking to Daisuke or something?"

"No, I can see a mirror reflection of myself in you and I'd much rather have Takeru as my brother rather than another version of me."

"I'm not a copy of you," the writer mumbled.

"Bull. The hair, the clothes, and since when did you smoke?"

Takeru blinked and turned to face his sibling. "Are you trying to impersonate Mom or something, because that is pretty damn close."

"Takeru…"

"Alright, fine." He drew a breath and stared up at the night sky. "I tried to emulate you so I could be more popular. You don't know what it's like to have no friends, no girlfriend, or anything."

Yamato nodded as he thought back a few years to when things seems a lot simpler. "Hey, what about that girl you met up with at that party several years back. She seemed pretty taken by you. What was her name again? I think she was Italian-"

"French. And her name was Catherine." Takeru focused on the ground and shuffled his feet. "We've actually met before during the whole BelialVamdemon thing back when we had to rally together all the Chosen Children around the world." A faint tint colored his cheeks. "She was really sweet, and well, cute."

"And I'll bet she was even prettier all dressed up."

Takeru ducked his head, as if he feared of blushing in front of his older brother. "I guess so. Yeah."

A smirk lit up Yamato's face. It was nice to see a bit of the old Takeru still existed after all. "Why didn't you two exchange email addresses or phone numbers or something?"

His younger brother however sighed at this suggestion. "We did. We talked for a while kind of like pen pals…. then she just stopped writing. I'm not sure why. Maybe she lost my information or moved or something. Either that or she decided she didn't like me anymore."

"In the words of Daisuke, 'what's not to like?' You're smart, good looking, friendly, athletic, an excellent writer…. And have your moments with the sense of humor thing."

"Are you trying to make me turn red or something?"

Yamato laughed. "You never were too good at accepting a compliment. But it is the truth."

"If you say so." Takeru sighed and snuffed out his cigarette. "I guess we should probably go back inside soon. Thanks."

"No, problem. You just need to stop being so hard on yourself."

"You mean like you?"

The Bearer of Friendship sent a glare his brother's way then laughed. "I suppose."

The two men fell silent for a moment before Takeru broke it with several questions that he knew wouldn't be able to be answered at the moment. "I wonder what is going to happen tomorrow in the Digital World. We haven't been there in so long. I hope Patamon and the others are okay. I haven't seen him in a very long time either." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "Some Chosen Children we were. We had completely abandoned our friends and the Digital World. Makes you wonder what's going to happen next."

Yamato nodded. "I guess we'll just have to prepare then wait and see."

The Chosen of Hope nodded then they stood in silence once again, watching the night sky.

* * *

The sound of the television droned on as it lit up the room in flashes of color. No one was paying attention to whatever happened to be on, each of the three people, aside from Hikari who was still asleep, were too lost in their thoughts. Sora sat curled up in an armchair holding a book in her hands, but had yet to crack it open. Taichi on the other hand, had moved to the smaller sofa, allowing Hikari to take as much room as she preferred on the larger one. Daisuke however chose to the sit on the floor, leaning against the larger sofa with his knees drawn to his chest.

It wasn't until Taichi got a good look at Sora, did the still quiet remain unbroken. Normally he wouldn't question something so personal, but he couldn't help it. The strong athletic girl he once knew now appeared close to malnourished worse than his little sister. _Maybe Daisuke is right. It's not just him and Hikari with the problems. _He cleared his throat then addressed the redhead. "So, Sora. How have you been?"

The Chosen of Love blinked and turned her attention to her childhood friend. "Okay, I guess," she shrugged. "You? It's been awhile since I've seen either of you two in fact."

"Haven't seen much of Daisuke either, let alone Yamato." He paused a moment and scratched his head. "Have you uh, been eating okay? You seem a lot thinner than I remember."

The Bearer of Miracles gaped at his former mentor in disbelief then slapped a hand over his face as he groaned.

"What do you mean, Taichi?" Sora narrowed her eyes at him as if daring him to say anymore.

"Well…. You've just changed and maybe my memory is bad, but you look almost as thin as Hikari and she hasn't been eating well, so I thought..."

"Are you trying to tell me I have an eating disorder?"

Taichi squirmed in his seat and glanced helplessly to his protégé. "Daisuke probably agrees, right, Daisuke?"

"Leave me out of this," the younger Chosen Child muttered.

"But you were the one that said she had a complex in the first place!"

"WHAT?" Sora rose from her chair and glared down at the two leaders. "How DARE you! I do not-"

"Do not, what?" Daisuke at that moment chose to look at the irate woman and met her with a cool stare as well. Taichi after all had already shoved him towards the flames, might as well go down like a champ instead of as a sacrifice. "Have an eating disorder? I saw right through Hikari and Jun. You think I can't see through you as well?"

Sora opened her mouth, but froze. It was her childhood friend who actually asked the question she wanted to.

"Jun had an eating disorder?"

Daisuke gravely nodded. "Yeah. She did. She didn't think she was good enough. Not pretty enough. Not popular enough. Not smart enough. So, she tried to fix things herself." He dropped his eyes to the carpet and folded his arms over his knees. "Mom and Dad didn't notice since they were barely home, but I did. When she couldn't starve herself, she'd vomit then try to cover up the smell with air freshener. It wasn't until her hair started falling out that I finally told our parents what was going on. It had all started when she was nineteen. She's gotten through it now, but it was still a hard road to travel."

The Chosen of Love sat in silence as she gazed towards the balcony door. She drew a deep breath and finally spoke. "I diet, but that's it. Nothing else. I still eat, just not that much then I exercise."

"Sora, you were skinny to begin with. There is no need to put yourself through that," Taichi sighed, now feeling concerned about the others. Exactly how much had changed since they last saw each other?

"I know," she mumbled softly. "I'm not bulimic or anorexic."

"If you keep it up, you will be," Daisuke said firmly. "There is a line between a casual diet and obsessing over your weight."

Sora threw her hands in the air. "Let's just drop it already! Would it satisfy you if I ate a huge bowl of ramen and washed it down with and extra large chocolate shake? Will that make you two shut up?"

The two leaders shrank back in result of the furious woman's shouts. Instead they focused their gazes on the thick snowy carpet. Taichi ran a hand through his hair and scowled. "We're just worried about you."

"Yeah, well…. I can take care of myself," she growled, thrusting her book open in a heated rage.

He sighed and glanced towards his slumbering sister who didn't appear so peaceful after all. The leader leaned closer and furrowed his eyebrows. "Hikari doesn't have a fever, does she?"

Daisuke snapped his head in the direction of the Chosen of Light and nearly fell backwards. Luckily he was still sitting on the floor otherwise he more than likely would have. The young woman was once again drenched in sweat and shaking horribly in her sleep. She whimpered softly as fresh tears streaked her cheeks. Her face however was ghastly translucent, even paler than before she had fallen asleep.

"What's wrong with her?" Sora gasped, rising from her chair as she too took in the sight of the brunette. "Is she sick?"

Taichi slid off the couch and approached his little sister, concern and confusion very evident in his brown eyes. He carefully laid a hand on her forehead then abruptly drew it away.

"What is it?" Daisuke switched his focus from Hikari to her brother and back again. His voice shook slightly as he spoke. "Does she have a fever?"

Taichi moved away from his sibling, a frown curving over his mouth. "It's...strange. She's warm but she's also cool….how can that be?"

His protégé was about to reply when suddenly an intensely bright light shone off of Hikari's body. The three Chosen Children in the room immediately shielded their eyes as they cried out in pain. "What is happening to her?"

"I don't know!" He frantically tried to reach out to his sister but withdrew his hand with a shout. He looked at his hand in disbelief and realized that it was burned as though he had touched a searing hot plate. "Hikari, wake up!"

Sora gasped as Taichi clutched his burnt hand and froze where she stood. "Taichi, are you okay?"

"I'll live."

"Why is she glowing like that?"

"Good question, but at this rate, we may need sunglasses."

At the mentioning of the eyewear, Daisuke pulled down his dark shades and moved a bit closer as well but was stopped by Taichi. Instead he too yelled for the sleeping Child of Light to awaken. He paused, completely baffled by the whole situation. "What are we going to do? We need to wake her up!"

"Did she do this before?" Sora asked him.

"No, not while I was present." He scowled for a moment. "Do you suppose it's a defense mechanism?"

Taichi considered that speculation when the sound of the balcony door opening drew their attention temporarily away from the glowing woman.

The two brothers paused in bewilderment and they too, brought their hands to their eyes, squinting through the intense light, unable to make out the source or who was still present in the room. The elder of the two covered his eyes for a moment, trying to adjust them. "What's up with the light show?"

"Hikari," his best friend simply replied.

"What?" Yamato made himself look up and suddenly wished he hadn't. He quickly dropped his head and shut his eyes. "What happened?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. We can't seem to wake her up either," Daisuke replied, grit very evident in his voice. "I knew she was bright, but this is ridiculous!"

"And blinding," Takeru added approaching the group.

"And burning." Taichi nodded, showing them his hand. "At least it's not blistering."

"But what are we going to do? She's not waking up!" Sora's voice was tinged with panic. Yamato placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We'll do the only thing we can do. Wait and hope she does wake up," he replied as the others silently nodded. All they could do was wait, and hope. Nothing more, nothing less.

* * *

Menacing shadows bounced off of the grim, moldy stone walls as several dark flamed torches lit the way throughout the musty corridors of the dark fortress-like building. Hikari raced blindly down the narrow halls, as she tried to shut out the tears with every bit of strength she had. The thundering echoes of her footsteps bounced off of the walls as she tried to seek an escape.

She couldn't remember how she came to such a place but only knew she had to get out as fast as she could. There was something so dark and foreboding that she swore her heart would jump out of her chest if she didn't find a way out soon. Unfortunately, the place resembled a labyrinth at best, many of her turns resulted in dead ends forcing the frightened young woman to double back and find another path.

_There has to be a way out of here!_ Her breath caught as she skidded into another dead end. Hikari kicked the wall in frustration then leaned against it as she tried to catch her breath. Sweat slid from her forehead and dripped off her nose and chin as tears soon followed. _Damn it, I can't do this forever. _She inhaled sharply at the sound of footsteps casually striding in her direction.

She swallowed thickly and pressed herself against the wall, debating on what action to take next. Dread flooded her senses as she held her breath. Suddenly a cruel laughter danced menacingly in the air.

"Do you think hiding will do you any good?"

The voice mocked the terrified young woman as she struggled to keep her wits about her. Hikari balled her hands into fists and tried to calm her shaking nerves. _There has to be some way out of here._

"There isn't," the feminine voice snorted.

"You read my thoughts?" Hikari stammered, completely bewildered by whoever insisted on tormenting her. "But…how?"

"You are so pathetic."

"I don't understand this. Why do you want to hurt me? I've done nothing to you. Nothing!"

The speaker stepped in the doorway, once again enveloped in a long dark cloak, concealing her features. It appeared that she was same woman from Hikari's previous dream. "There doesn't have to be a reason. You're much too simple minded. I expected much more out of you."

The captive clenched her jaw for a moment narrowing her brown eyes. She was still afraid but knew she would never leave unless she used whatever was left of her backbone in one form or another. "Then I'm sorry to disappoint you," she said dryly, pushing off the wall. "If I'm not such a great challenge, then why don't you let me go and find someone else to torment?"

A flash of light caught Hikari's eyes as something streaked towards her face. She quickly sidestepped it, allowing the object to sink in the wall. A gasp escaped from her throat as she stared down at the shiny dagger now embedded in the stone wall. She could feel the color drain from her face as she froze on the spot.

The laughter erupted once again, this time gleeful. "I see you have rather good reflexes. This might be more entertaining than I thought." Another dagger soon followed, barely missing Hikari as she threw herself on the ground.

"STOP IT!" She urgently scanned the room for an exit, but could find none. Instead she summoned all the strength she had and screamed.

Her attacker paused in shock as Hikari's aura faintly glowed before the white light expanded to something that could rival the sun. The floor, walls, and ceiling began to shake, emitting large clouds of dust as chunks of stone and plaster shook loose. "What are you doing? Stop! You're going to destroy everything including us!"

Hikari's eyes flew open and for the first time she found herself staring into a pair of horrified sapphire blue eyes peeking out from behind the hood of the cloak. _There's something about them…I just don't know._ The intense glow slowly diminished as the atmosphere calmed. Suddenly she collapsed as all her strength gave out on her.

* * *

The five adults sat around the glowing young woman, each wore a pair of sunglasses to protect their eyes from the harsh light. Only a few minutes ago, they had sealed off all the windows in hopes that no outsiders would see the unusual display. They had to admit, even after the many odd and strange sights they had seen during their times as Chosen Children, this was one that would be difficult to forget.

Takeru gazed at his feet, trying not to look directly at Hikari. Sora had to remind them that at this point, looking directly at the Chosen of Light could be as harmful as looking into the sun. "I have a really bad feeling about all this."

"You're not the only one, Takeru." Daisuke ran a hand through his hair, glancing at Hikari out of the corner of his eye. He sighed, squinting a bit before focusing on his hands again.

"What if she never stops glowing and never wakes up?" Taichi glanced at his friends, fearful for his little sister.

Yamato gave him a look of both astonishment and disappointment as he sat in his chair again. "She will. Hikari has been through a lot worse."

"What if she doesn't _want_ to wake up?" The leader of the Chosen Children stood up from his place on the couch next to the Bearer of Hope and glared his best friend. "And since when are you Mr. Positive? Isn't that Takeru's job?"

"Since when did you have the brain capacity of a year old rice ball? You're the one that usually had the positive outlook, remember?"

"Wait…. are you telling me that a rice ball is SMARTER than me?"

Yamato approached the angry young man prepared to knock some sense into him if he had to. "At the moment, yeah."

"Well, I doubt a rice ball could beat your face in!"

"Or someone dumber than a rice ball."

"You're stupider than a moldy two year old chunk of TOFU!"

The musician growled as he narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, well you smell worse than my grandmother's pickles when she puts in too much vinegar and soy sauce!"

"The same one that hung up on me when I tried to call you during the first encounter with Omnimon?" Taichi paused as he thought back to that particular day when they were practically battling against the clock in preventing the activation of a nuclear warhead.

"Yeah."

The Bearer of Courage stomped his foot in anger at the answer. "Take that back, you overcook radish!"

Daisuke glanced up at Takeru from his place on the floor. "Hey, do you think they could be hungry?"

"Shove it, ramen breath," Yamato snapped at the younger man.

"Probably," the writer whispered as they continued watching the show.

Taichi took a step closer to his best friend. "You look like slimy, raw seaweed."

"Month old Puffer fish."

"Burnt potsticker."

"You're denser than a ten year old fruitcake," Yamato sneered in reference to Mimi's Christmas party in New York a few years ago.

Taichi's jaw dropped at the insult. "You-you smell like spoiled egg nog!"

"Knock it off, both of you!" Sora stepped between them, shoving the two infuriated young men away from each other. "_Neither _of you are doing Hikari any good so sit down and shut up." She then spun around and faced the two younger Chosen Children. "And don't you two dare even _think_ about fighting like these two numbskulls or you'll be sleeping on the balcony."

Daisuke and Takeru both blinked in shock at the woman behind their dark shades. "The thought hasn't even occurred to us, Sora," the blonde replied as the brunette shook his head in response.

"Good!" The red haired woman spun on her heel and walked away, muttering to herself. "And they think _I_ have a complex. _They _need to seek some anger management, stupid jerks."

"That was….different," Takeru said as he leaned back against the couch. His words were however unheard as Daisuke redirected his attention elsewhere. "Hey, is it just me, or is the room suddenly a lot dimmer?"

"Hikari," Daisuke moved closer to the young woman, tearing his sunglasses off as the violently bright light which once surrounded her began fading. The other three men looked on as the glow diminished completely and a few seconds later brown eyes opened and blinked.

"What…." Hikari touched her forehead, wincing in pain as she groaned softly. She closed her eyes for a moment then glanced around the room, confusion etched on her pale face. "What happened?"

A relieved smile curved on the leader of the second group of Chosen Children. "Welcome back, Hikari."

"Are you okay? How do you feel? Is there anything I can get you? Do you want some water or some food?" Taichi peppered his younger sister with questions as he rushed to her side, an urgent look on his face.

"It's okay, Hikari. We just got worried about you." Takeru gave her a gentle, understanding smile, removing his shades.

The young woman frowned and tugged lightly on a strand of hair. "Why should you be worried about me? I'm fine." She paused a moment and stared at her brother. "Why are you wearing sunglasses?"

"You glowed. Do you happen to know why?" Yamato looked at her quizzically, fiddling with his own black colored glasses.

Hikari dropped her gaze to her hands as if contemplating what exactly to say. "I don't remember," she softly replied, flinching slightly at her own words.

"Well, sis. I can honestly say you could have given the sun some competition," her brother laughed trying to settle some of the built up tension as he took his blue sunglasses off.

"We're just glad you're alright. You are alright, right?" The Chosen of Hope gave her an inquiring look.

"I'm fine," Hikari said with a stiff laugh.

Yamato however studied her closely then glanced briefly at Daisuke who was too focused on the young woman to have noticed. He said nothing then shifted his focus to his girlfriend as she walked back into the room.

"Hikari! I'm so glad to see you're okay," Sora smiled, removing her sunglasses. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine. Just fine. Don't worry about me. I'm fine," Hikari smiled back as she toyed with the ends of her hair.

The Bearer of Miracles nodded as he stood up and approached her bag lying near the wall where the white cat was sitting. He picked up the stuffed animal and tossed it to her without a word.

The others looked at Daisuke, each with a puzzled expression on their faces, but he didn't say a word and instead took a seat on the other couch. He scowled down at his feet for a moment before glancing back towards everyone and shrugged with a lopsided grin. "Sorry, I think I'm more tired than my body is letting on."

Yamato nodded as he looked at the young man with some thought. "Then perhaps it would be best if we all go to sleep. Tomorrow may be a longer day than we anticipate specifically because we don't know what to expect."

His girlfriend nodded. "Why don't we all bunk out here tonight? We could potentially end up sleeping in worse conditions tomorrow. Hopefully it won't come to that."

"Fine with me. Hikari can take the couch she's already on."

"I'll take the floor. I'm used to it," Daisuke said as he rose to his feet. "The girls should be the ones sleeping on the couches anyway."

Sora appeared a bit taken a back at the chivalrous gesture but smiled. "Thank you, Daisuke. I better grab some blankets and pillows for everyone."

"We'll help," Yamato said, dragging Taichi hurriedly behind him.

Hikari picked up the stuffed cat and held it on her lap. Takeru and Daisuke exchanged glances as they sat back down on the floor. "I'm sorry for being such a bother," she said softly.

"You're not. You're our friend," the spiky haired brunette replied softly.

The blonde gave him a speculative look then nodded. "Right. We've all helped each other out time and time again. I mean, well… you helped Daisuke with studying when his parents threatened to take him out of soccer club, I helped you in the Dig-" Takeru paused as Daisuke sharply elbowed him in the side. He glanced quickly from the leader and back to the young woman on the couch. "-Dinner. I mean I helped you make dinner once."

"This coming from the guy who nearly burned down his mother's apartment trying to make ramen," Daisuke muttered dryly.

"Hey! The damn pot boiled over and…. how did you know about that?"

"I have my sources," the soccer player smirked smugly. He cleared his throat and rested his arms behind his head then leaned back against the table. "And you helped Hikari with her English essay, not dinner. Well, you did that too, but then had to get take- out because first you undercooked everything and then you overcooked it to the point that it was impossible to distinguish what was what."

Takeru pouted, folding his arms. "It wasn't that bad."

"All I have to say is whoever you marry better know how to cook or you'll be eating take-out for the rest of your lives."

"I'll just have Yamato teach me then."

Daisuke raised an eyebrow. "He tried. Remember? You nearly brought him to tears."

"I did not," Takeru growled.

"I was there with Taichi. It took several months for me to stop having nightmares of that day."

"You're just over-exaggerating."

Daisuke snickered. "You torched the tofu for crying out loud and started a really big grease fire, nearly catching your brother's hair on fire in the process, not to mention his favorite shirt."

"Was I present?" Hikari blinked, interrupting the conversation briefly.

Daisuke's face dimmed a bit as he nodded. "Yeah, it was supposed to be a dinner for all of our friends. In fact you came with us to get the replacement dinner."

"Hey, what are you three talking about?" Taichi inquired as he and the elder Chosen Children returned with multiple piles of blankets and pillows in their arms.

"Just reminiscing about Takeru's failed cooking attempts," the younger leader chuckled with the mere mental image.

Yamato's face immediately paled as he shuddered. "Takeru, you know I love you but I am NEVER EVER going to teach you how to cook ever again."

"I never thought rice balls could bounce. You proved me wrong," the Chosen of Courage laughed.

Sora looked at the group and sighed. "I suppose this was something I missed and I was probably better off not witnessing."

"Unless you wanted flour and grease splashed on you like Daisuke, your hair nearly caught on fire like Yamato, vinegar spilled on your favorite skirt like Hikari or a jar of pickled ginger dropped on your foot like me then no. I don't care what you happened to be doing at the time, you were FAR better off than the rest of us."

The redhead flinched. "I think I was at tennis practice and for that I am very glad."

"Let's just go to bed already," Takeru grumbled as he stood up and snatched a pillow and blanket from his brother's grasp then stumbled off to a vacant corner of the room.

"Don't take it personally, Takeru. We're just teasing you," Yamato said reassuringly.

"Yeah, yeah."

The others exchanged glances and they too either set up a place on the floor or the couch then prepared for bed. It wasn't long until the lights were off and everyone was snuggled under a blanket. They all said good night and soon sleep claimed them.

* * *

Author's Notes: Finally it looks like the next chapter will get the plot moving more. It was nice to see more humor in this chapter. I'm actually a big fan of it when it feels like it belongs. I didn't exactly expect Hikari to glow. It just…..happened. Not sure why it happened myself, hopefully that answer will write itself. I've had enough of a headache trying to figure out what is going on with Daisuke (there is more going on than appears to be and may not be revealed until the very end because he's being really sly with sharing things. I'm surprised he let out his sister's problem to be honest.)

Even bigger things are yet to come in the next chapter.


	9. The Reunion

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 9  
The Reunion  
By  
Sailor Janus

The darkened apartment was still and calm as the Chosen Children rested in a world full of dreams or nothingness. Almost everyone. Daisuke was just about to doze off when he heard what sounded like soft crying. He frowned and sat up, trying to adjust his brown eyes to the darkness. A few sniffles later he decided to investigate. Carefully he stood up and stumbled towards the crying only to discover that it was Hikari. Daisuke sighed quietly and kneeled next to her. "What's wrong?"

Hikari gasped and jerked upright. She stared at him with wide eyes, but didn't try to wipe her face off.

"It's okay, Hikari. You can tell me." He didn't move and instead stayed stationary, looking at her in understanding.

"I…" She drew a deep breath and sniffed. "I was thinking back…. about Nitoni and the things we used to do together and for each other. He-he seemed like he loved me and it seemed like we were in love, but now…. I don't know. Maybe he was pretending all along, but it still hurts." The Chosen of Light lifted her face towards the young man. "Why would he want to harm me? I don't understand. I don't know what happened."

"I don't know either," Daisuke softly replied, completely taken aback by how much pain she was in. More than anything he felt he was to blame. He should have been able to prevent this, but couldn't. "I'm sorry."

She frowned at him. "What do you have to be sorry about? If anything I should be the one apologizing to you. You've been nothing but good to me, but all I do is treat you horribly."

"It's okay, I'm used to it." He grinned, trying to mask his bewilderment towards Hikari's confession. It was the last thing he expected her to tell him.

"Maybe I don't deserve happiness if all I do is bring people down."

Daisuke abruptly grabbed her hand without thinking against it. "That's not true. You deserve every bit of happiness in existence, because you always put others first no matter what."

"Then why do these things keep happening to me? Why are most of my memories gone? Why did Nitoni try to kill me? Why am I depressed all the time and wish I was never born? Why?" Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, glistening in the faint light cast off the streetlamps through the windows outside.

The young man's eyes flashed as he released her hand and instead moved closer, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame. He didn't know the consequences of his actions, and didn't care. She could scream, bite, scratch, kick, punch, or try to force him to let go any other way, but if he could offer her just a minuscule bit of comfort even for a second, he would do it. "I don't know. Nitoni was a fool. He doesn't deserve you. And you've heard the saying 'bad things happen to good people,' right? Well, things can only get so bad before they get better."

Hikari numbly nodded, and rather than push Daisuke away, she gratefully returned the hug then pulled away. She sat up on the couch and patted the seat next to her as an invitation. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Daisuke furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he sat down. Hikari seemed to be calming down a bit, which was a good thing. The bonus was probably the fact that she was talking to him.

"You seem so sad at times even though you try to hide it. I guess your eyes kind of give it away." She shrugged, shifting her gaze from her hands to his face in query.

_Damn it. She still seems to be able to see right through me. _Daisuke took a deep breath and tried to decide on how to form the right words without making things an even bigger mess. "Well, several years ago I lost someone dear to me and I don't know if they'll ever return."

Hikari nodded and gave him a sad smile. "You must have loved that person a lot."

The Chosen leader squirmed a bit in discomfort. "Yes. I guess you could say she's not the type of person that is easy to get over."

"What happened?"

"She moved away, but before that we had a fight. It was stupid and pointless, but still, it was a fight."

"And you think it's your fault that you haven't spoken since?"

He mutely nodded, focusing his gaze on the floor.

"Wow, you must have really loved her," she murmured quietly.

"First love, maybe only love." Daisuke sighed and dropped his face in his hands in defeat. "Maybe I don't deserve her either. I'm too brash and hotheaded. Stubborn too."

Hikari touched his shoulder lightly. "But you're still a good person. I mean, look at everything you have done for me; a childhood friend who had forgotten a lot of things."

"Yeah."

"Friends?"

Daisuke picked his head up and looked at her then smiled. "Friends." For a moment in time he would be happy. At least now he could be near Hikari without her trying to high tail it for the hills. For now, he would be content. The next instant her arms were around him again only this time a pleasant smile was also on her face.

"Thank you, for everything. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I've just been so scared and confused." She tightened her embrace as she said the last part then let go. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead."

"It's okay. Things will get better. We'll go to the Digital World, find a way to get your memories back and everything will be fine."

Hikari held his gaze for a moment then nodded. "I guess we really must have been good friends."

"What makes you say that?"

"You have stuck with me through thick and thin like my brother said. I'm sorry I didn't believe you so much before, but I have more than enough proof now."

Daisuke nodded. "He's right."

Silence fell between them for a moment until Hikari broke it once again. "So, when did we first meet?"

Her companion flinched, but it was too dim to be noticed. "When we were nine. It was at a park and you saw me on the swings. We talked, but I can't remember what about. I had moved to Odaiba only a few days ago so I didn't really know anyone. I guess you could say you were my first friend."

"I can't remember, but I'll believe you." The Chosen of Light looked at the ceiling and sighed. "I hate this. I feel so pathetic not being able to remember a single thing, yet everyone insists that these things happened. Even my own brother."

"We don't blame you for it, Hikari. It's not your fault."

"I know, but everyone is so worried about me and I don't want that. I don't want everyone to fret over me. I just want things to be normal. Then everyone can be happy."

Brown eyes gazed down at the floor as the soccer player pursed his lips. No matter how many memories Hikari had forgotten, no matter how much had changed, she still put others first. "You need to understand that we care because we want to. You always put so much on yourself. For once, let us worry about you for a change."

The young woman turned her head towards her friend. She studied him for a moment then nodded. A soft sigh escaped from her lips and she leaned back against the couch cushions. "If you say so." Hikari nibbled on her lip thoughtfully. "Can you tell me some stuff about us?"

Daisuke's breath caught in his throat at the question. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. What did we do for fun? What classes did we take? If we went to any neat places, that type of thing."

He paused for a moment, and contemplated what to tell Hikari first. The most important thing to leave out for the moment was more than likely the adventures in the Digital World because they may be too much for her to grasp. "Well, we went on picnics, played soccer, video games, um, studied and did homework when we had to…. oh, sometimes we'd get ice cream on the way home from school-"

"You'd get chocolate chip cookie dough, right?"

Daisuke gaped at her in shock. "How did you know that? I mean are your memories returning?"

"I had another one of my visions at the ice cream parlor. We were kids and the other ones around our age were there too. The lavender haired girl argued against it, but she folded after being convinced by the indigo haired boy. It was kind of strange," Hikari admitted softly.

The young man scratched his head briefly as he recalled the particular day. They were on their way to the school to go to Digital World, but he had a strange feeling that it would be wise to eat something before they changed worlds. He knew Miyako had brought some food, but they needed something immediately. Sugar was the answer and he knew none of them had enough will power to turn down free ice cream of the flavor of their choice. Luckily the plan succeeded. Sure he came off as an immature, thinking-only-with-his-stomach leader, but immediately after they all had arrived in the Digital World, they found themselves in a desperate need of the energy burst they achieved with the added sugar.

"Are you okay?"

Daisuke jumped slightly and glanced towards Hikari's shadowed face. "Sorry, I was just remembering that day." He shifted his position so he could sit a little more comfortably. "Yeah, Miyako can be a bit stubborn, but she never could say no to free ice cream either."

"Do you really think I'll be able to get my memories back?" Hikari looked at him again and he could barely make out the tears glistening in the darkness.

The Chosen leader paused for a second as he debated on the best answer to her question. He didn't want to let her down so he replied with the only thing he could think of. "Yeah, so don't worry. Everything is going to get better."

The Bearer of Light nodded appreciatively then began questioning him more about the past. Each answer of course was carefully chosen, but before long the two friends found themselves growing weary and soon silence smothered their soft chatter.

* * *

Taichi lazily opened his brown eyes, vaguely aware of someone shaking his shoulder sternly yet gently. He groaned and tried to roll over, but the same force prevented him from doing so. "Let me sleep," the young man grumbled, swinging his leg to the side, kicking the unwanted presence in the process.

"Taichi, get your carcass up and this time _don't_ kick me again," an irritated voice ordered through clenched teeth.

"Five more minutes." A brief moment of peace followed his words until what felt like a soft cloth object, hit him square in the head. Taichi lifted his head and blinked. "Yamato? How did you get in my room and why did you hit me with a pillow?"

The blonde narrowed his eyes at his best friend. "We're not in your room, we're on the living room floor of my apartment and I hit you with a pillow to get your ass up so we can meet everyone in Odaiba to go to the Digital World…. We're trying to figure out how to help your sister with her memories." Yamato sighed at the blank, sleepy expression on the brunette's face. He growled and ran a hand over his eyes. "Your little sister Hikari…. The short girl that you shared a room with when you were kids."

Taichi blinked again as realization finally hit him. "Oh! The short girl I shared a room with!" He shook his head and blinked a few times, trying to shake the hazy cloud he felt like his brain was immersed in. Then he leapt to his feet and sprinted off towards the couches, nearly trampling over a dazed Takeru in the process.

"What the hell was _that_ all about?" The Bearer of Hope scrambled off the floor and shot his brother a flabbergasted expression. "What did you do, shock him awake with a 90,000 volts of electricity?"

Yamato shrugged and headed off to wake up Sora if Taichi's shouting hadn't done so already.

"Hik-" Taichi began when he noticed Hikari was still asleep on the plush sofa. What was odd about the scene however was the fact that she was not alone. Daisuke was sleeping right next to her and her head was resting on his shoulder while his was leaned against hers. It was so peaceful and innocent that he didn't really want to disrupt it.

The first time he had walked into a room and caught them sleeping in the same position had been when their grandmother had died of brain cancer. He distinctly could recall his little sister being so overcome by grief that she had locked herself in her bedroom and refused to leave. The death was hard on both of them, but Hikari was a lot closer to Nana than he was. He remembered their parents were at the hospital and since he failed at coaxing his sibling out of her room, he left as well, trying to give her as much space as possible.

When Taichi finally returned however, he was not only surprised to see his baby sister outside of the bedroom and sitting on the couch, but Daisuke was with her as well, and the two were sound asleep leaned against each other as the television flickered in front of them, indicating that they had been previously watching a movie. He supposed that either his protégé was invited or that he came on his own. Either way, Hikari had oddly accepted his company.

It was strange seeing the two adolescents that close considering that he had never actually seen them anywhere together before. If Hikari was going to allow anyone to help her, he never dreamt she'd choose Daisuke. Takeru yes, Ken, maybe, even Iori, Miyako, and some of the older Chosen Children made more sense than the bumbling hotheaded leader of the younger group.

Then again, perhaps looks truly are deceiving and the Child of Light knew there was more to the spiky haired boy than any of them could have ever suspected. He remembered that during Hikari's own digimon adventures with the second group that at times she was a bit standoffish towards Daisuke and other times, not, as if knowing him reminded her of something painful. It was then that Taichi reflected on their deceased grandmother's ailment. Perhaps that was the reason why. Either way, it didn't really matter as long as she was seeking relief from her pain in whatever way suited her best.

"I never expected to see those two that close again after everything that has happened to poor Hikari." Sora sat up, gazing down at her young friends as Taichi turned his head and nodded at her.

"I was thinking the same thing."

"They used to be rather close." Yamato agreed as he moved to his girlfriend's side. His younger brother joined the group as well, rubbing his face tiresomely.

"Do you suppose this will work? I mean taking Hikari to the Digital World and all?" Takeru glanced glumly at the sleeping pair on the couch. "I just feel like I'm promising something that may not even happen. Memories can be a lot more complex than anyone could ever fathom."

The musician placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We'll have to be positive and protect her as well as we can. Hopefully, Gabumon and the others are up to the challenge."

"They will," Taichi said determinedly. He sighed softly as he looked at his sister again. "I just hope Tailmon doesn't take Hikari's state too hard."

"What's a Tailmon?" Hikari mumbled groggily as she yawned. She groaned softly and cuddled against Daisuke then froze. Brown eyes fluttered open and stared wide-eyed at the spiky haired young man who was starting to stir.

"Okay, I'm awake." Daisuke lifted his head an inch from Hikari's and paused. His eyes flew open and he jumped back as best he could with her still leaning against him. "Uh, sorry… Sorry… Sorry. I-I-I…. Oh crap. I didn't mean-"

The young woman covered her face, trying desperately to shield the spreading blush on her cheeks. "No, no, no. I-I was sleeping on you. It's my fault. Oh, God, this is so embarrassing…"

"And really amusing," her older brother cracked.

Hikari turned her head and nearly screamed at the sight of four pairs of eyes studying them with a rather good-humored interest. "Tai-Tai-Taichi! It-It-I-I…. Ahh!" She immediately bolted to the other side of the couch and buried her face in the arm of it trying to hide from her audience and most notably, her smirking older brother.

"Um, it's not what you think whatsoever. We were talking late last night and I guess we fell asleep at some point, but nothing happened. Believe me," Daisuke explained the best he could without stuttering or running his sentences together into one incoherent mess.

Taichi laughed again. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen the two so jumpy and found it rather refreshing. He hated seeing them looking glum and depressed, especially his own baby sister.

Takeru snickered and addressed his brother and Sora. "So, did you two ever end up in a situation like that?"

"No!" The couple answered simultaneously, glanced at each other, turned away and sighed.

"Not…. often." The redhead bit her lip as she tilted her head to the ceiling as if it were more interesting than everyone else in the room.

"And not nearly as bad as Taichi and that one girl he was completely gaga over in high school," Yamato said quickly.

"Hey! I wasn't _completely_ gaga over her," Taichi said defensively.

His best friend however disagreed as he shook with mirth. "You could barely make intelligible sentences around her. I think she thought you had a speech impediment from all the stuttering you did."

"Yeah, well, she was cute."

"So are other girls and you don't see too many other guys have the same problem," Yamato teased. "Even Takeru could form proper sentences around the Italian girl."

"French," the Bearer of Hope interjected.

"Whatever." He smirked at Taichi instead. "The point is you were completely smitten."

Taichi turned his gaze to the floor, the smile now faded from his face. "Well, if you don't remember, she moved and I never saw her again." He folded his arms behind his head and looked up again. "Hey, I think we should get moving if we want to make it to Odaiba on time."

"Right. Hey, sorry, man. I didn't realize she was such a sore subject." Yamato patted the brunette on the back who shrugged in turn.

"It's alright. I mean she probably forgot about me, got married, and has 2.5 kids and a dog. It happens and all I can do is wish her the best, right?"

"Right." The other four Chosen exchanged glances but said nothing. Instead they began cleaning and preparing to leave. In a matter of minutes they were ready to depart for the trip to Odaiba that lay ahead of them.

* * *

The hot sun bore down upon the group of Chosen Children as they made their way along the streets of Odaiba to the park. It was nearly thirty minutes before they would join the others in the journey to the Digital World.

"I didn't… realize how far…. away the park is…. Until now," Takeru said between puffs of air. He tried shifting his heavy backpack, hoping it would make the walk easier, but to no avail, relief was not achieved. Instead he rolled up the sleeves of his gray shirt wishing he hadn't put it on over his pale blue one. His dark gray pants didn't help the situation either.

"That's because we used to live fairly close and didn't have to walk from the train station," his brother replied, dressed similarly in a black shirt over a copper colored one with gray pants. He scanned their surroundings and sighed. "It hasn't really changed too much since we were last here. I kind of missed it."

"The air seems fresher too," Sora remarked, lifting her head towards the sky as she took a deep breath. She seemed to be the only one prepared for heat in a turquoise tank top and black jeans. Her long ponytail fluttered slightly as she walked.

"Only you would notice that, Sora." The Chosen of Courage snorted and he rolled his eyes. The red button down shirt and black pants were horribly wrinkled, but he either didn't care or didn't notice.

She glowered at him in turn. "At least I know what clean air smells like."

"It's air. What's the difference?"

The redhead groaned, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Ask Mimi to remind you about what they call air in New York. That should be a big enough refresher for you."

Hikari frowned for a moment but trailed after along side Daisuke who kept shooting her with concerned glances. She shrugged and gave him a nonchalant smile, absentmindedly yanking slightly at a loose string of her faded black shirt. He paused then nodded as they continued on in silence.

It wasn't until twenty minutes later did they finally make it to the park and found their usual picnic table and as normal, it was uninhabited. Happy to have a chance off their feet, the group sat down on the benches or on the table itself with cups of steaming hot coffee they had purchased across the street in their grasps.

"It seems like ages since we were last here," Sora remarked from her place on the table top, holding her cup with both hands. She swung her feet freely and leaned back a bit, turning her face towards the sky.

"Yeah. It feels strange." Her boyfriend agreed by her side, taking a sip of his beverage.

Takeru looked at the group thoughtfully. "Makes you wonder why we were in such a rush to leave this place. I mean it was our home and a place where most of the time we were happy."

Daisuke winced slightly but quickly covered it with a cough. "Sorry, I kind of swallowed wrong," he shrugged sheepishly shifting the paper cup in his hands then took a large gulp of his drink.

"If you say so," Yamato looked at the younger man clad in a dark green shirt and dark jeans skeptically.

An uncomfortable silence suddenly filled the air as the idle talk died leaving the group to swim through the sea that was their own thoughts. It wasn't until three minutes later did it break like an elephant sitting on a china cabinet.

"Holy shit!" The Chosen of Miracles scrambled off the bench, nearly dumping the contents of his cup on his and Takeru's pants. He stared with a dropped jaw, and seemed unaware of the blonde's cursing and the frantic juggling act of Takeru, Yamato and Taichi for the escaped cup of hot coffee.

"Daisuke, watch your language," Sora scolded then glanced up and gasped as well.

Hikari blinked in surprised and pointed to the two young adults headed their way. One was a man, dressed in a pale yellow button down shirt and faded blue jeans, carrying a large gray backpack on his back. His short indigo colored hair swayed slightly in the breeze. His companion was a tall female with a long braid of lavender hair. A few strands hung her face as she studied the group with a look that seemed to be a mix of interest and annoyance. She was dressed in a large brick red colored shirt and dark blue jeans with white and red sneakers. She too had a large backpack over her shoulders in a deep red color. "Isn't that..."

"Ken and Miyako," the Bearer of Hope whispered in disbelief as the young couple approached them.

"Well, hello to you six too," Miyako snorted as she rolled her eyes then laughed. "I always thought it'd take either an emergency or a tragedy to bring us all back together. Looks like the emergency won out."

Sora's eyes widened at the younger woman's bitter tone. "I guess we all fell out of touch. We should try better next time."

Daisuke shifted from one foot to the other. "So, how are you two? I mean I haven't seen either of you since graduation! Classes going okay and all that?"

Ken and Miyako brief exchanged glances. "Things are fine," the former Digimon Kaiser said softly.

"We're as happy as happy can be," his girlfriend shrugged with a one of her trademark grins. She then spun around and looked at her long lost friend. The bright sparkle of her eyes suddenly disappeared. "Hikari…"

Ken looked at his childhood friend and offered her a smile to cover up their reactions of shock. His eyes too dimmed at her deathly appearance. "We're glad to see you're alright, Hikari and we'll do all we can to find your memories."

"See? What did I tell you, Hikari? Everyone is going to help so everything will be okay and you'll have your memories back in no time!" Daisuke grinned merrily down at the young woman who merely nodded. "So, Ken. Anything new going on with you?"

Ken however was too busy staring at both the Child of Light and the Child of Miracles to fully register the question. An icy chill ran down his spine and at once he felt something was very wrong.

"Ken?"

The Bearer of Kindness's head snapped up and he looked at his best friend once again. "I'm sorry, Daisuke. I guess there's too much to fully take in right now."

"Yeah, it's okay, man."

Blue eyes studied brown and froze for the first time since he had arrived to the park. Something was indeed wrong. Daisuke's skin looked paler than he could ever recall it being. It seemed a few shades darker than Hikari's but not by much. He quickly refocused his gaze on Takeru who seemed rather out of it as he chatted with Miyako a bit about college. The blonde seemed shaky and had a rather bad cough. Ken then glanced towards the older Chosen Children then after comparing the two brothers realized that perhaps Takeru had taken to emulating Yamato again with the style of dress and the hair. Sora however looked almost too thin, as her turquoise tank top and jeans seemed to be swimming on her tiny figure. Last was Taichi, who appeared too frazzled for his own good. It was rather strange to see the leader clothed in a plain, button down dress shirt that seemed rather wrinkled with slacks.

However, before Ken could even address anyone in their party, two other group members walked calmly towards the table.

"Hey, there's Koushiro and I think Iori! I'd recognize that redhead anywhere…. At least I think I would," the Bearer of Courage shouted as the two newcomers headed their way. The rest of their group looked on as well and agreed that the red haired young man dressed in a orange dress shirt with black pants and the brown haired teenager clad in a dark green school uniform were indeed two of their expected friends. Both had their customary backpacks over their shoulders just like the rest of the group confirming that they were indeed who Taichi acclaimed them to be.

"I see we are neither late, nor earlier, just as I anticipated," Izumi Koushiro said with self-proclaimed satisfaction dripping off his words.

Hida Iori silently nodded. "Hello, everyone."

"Hey Iori. It's nice to see you've finally grown," Daisuke snickered teasingly at the youngest member of the Chosen.

The nineteen-year-old Kendo expert, who was now almost as tall as Takeru, narrowed his green eyes coolly. "Of course I'm going to grow. I grew the last time you saw me a few years ago."

"Okay, okay, you don't have to turn into Mr. Grouch." The leader of the second group of Chosen Children scratched his head. "So, you two doing okay…. And since when did you guys hang out?"

"We ran into each other on the way here," Koushiro spun around and faced the elder brunette. "And no, it was not literally, Taichi so you don't need to strain your brain concerning why we possess no bumps or bruises."

Taichi blinked then scowled. "Hey, I am not an idiot."

The twenty three year old Bearer of Knowledge raised an eyebrow then set his backpack down. "I do not plan on accompanying all of you in the Digital World. Instead I'll monitor everyone via my laptop since you will more than likely need my intellect to get out of whatever foolishly sticky situations you may get yourselves into."

Sora's jaw dropped and she took a step forward to comment when Yamato stepped in. "Koushiro, what the hell kind of nano virus got stuck up your ass? You are acting like Mr. Know-It-All, not the Chosen of Knowledge."

"And you have really been representing yourself as the Chosen of Friendship, Yamato? Look, I am only doing what I do best, and that is brainpower. If you have a problem with it, then you can deal, but I am going to do my part."

"And would happen to be having a major stick up your ass?" The musician snorted.

"Um, are we interrupting something?"

Everyone spun around to find a very familiar woman with very unfamiliar blonde hair dressed in a tiny baby blue sundress with sandals standing next to a young blonde haired man clothed in a bright red shirt and khaki pants. It took a moment for the Chosen to register that they were receiving odds looks from the woman.

"Mimi? You're a blonde!" Taichi gaped, nearly falling off the table.

"No, kidding. What were you are yelling about and what the hell happened to Hikari and Daisuke? They look like _The Night of the Living Dead_ only in daylight," Tachikawa Mimi remarked.

The two Chosen in question frowned at her but said nothing. Instead they sat quietly and watched the others interact. It was evident that their once friendly group had turned seemingly bitter and cold.

"Mimi, that isn't exactly a nice way to say 'Hi everyone. I really missed you so let's catch up.' You need to work on your tact a bit more," Michael Nicholson sighed as his girlfriend of five years glared at him. He took off his heavy navy blue backpack and sat down on the grass.

The Chosen of Purity brushed a lock of wavy waist length hair from her blue eyes and crossed her arms. "So are we just going to stand here or are we going to the Digital World?"

"Jyou is not here yet," Sora said with a shrug. "He still has five minutes so he should be here any minute."

"Lovely. And here I could have a smoke about now. Stupid jerk," she stomped her foot and took off her silver backpack as well.

Hikari blinked. "You smoke?"

Mimi snorted. "Yeah, like who doesn't?"

"I don't," Iori said firmly. "I don't care to huff and wheeze while doing Kendo."

"I don't huff and wheeze!"

Koushiro shook his head as he booted up his laptop. "I don't smoke either. There are more important things to do."

The blonde haired woman ground her teeth together. "Then who does? Please, enlighten me." The hands of Takeru, Yamato, and Michael went up. Takeru threw Daisuke a look and the brunette groaned and lifted his hand partially.

"I'm working on quitting," the leader said reluctantly.

Miyako however raised an eyebrow at her friends. "What is this, an AA meeting?" She shifted her eyes to Ken who growled softly at her. "Anyway, all of you are acting ridiculous, but then again, I should be used to it by now."

"Since when did you become such a bitch, Miyako?" Mimi hissed at the younger woman who did not back down.

"Since you became a stereotypical moronic ditz."

Ken ran a hand over his face and sighed. This did not bode well. He shifted his gaze towards Hikari, hoping the confused young woman was accepting everyone's changed attitudes as well as one could. The sight of her wide fear-filled brown eyes and the stricken look on her face spoke louder than words. Whatever her expectations of the group of friends were had been smashed into microscopic pieces. "Miyako-"

"Will you two stop? You used to be practically best friends," Takeru shouted at the two women. "Fighting is not going to get us anywhere."

"Well, until Jyou gets here, there isn't much else to do other than talk about the damn weather," the lavender haired young woman replied dryly. "Besides, you're the Yamato-wannabe."

"What does that have to do with anything?" The blonde looked at his friend completely flabbergasted.

She rolled her eyes in turn. "If anyone has issues, it's you, Takeru or should I call you Mini Mato?"

"Oh, that's really mature."

Mimi snickered. "And playing dress up is? Do you still play with action figures too?"

Michael, Yamato, and Ken exchanged glances and shook their heads, knowing that the girls were more than likely going win that one. Instead they silently watched yet another argument with the others as Koushiro messed with his laptop.

"And how do you expect to do anything in the Digital World, Mimi in five inch heels? You're going to break your neck," Takeru pointed out.

The blonde however fluffed her hair and simply replied, "Palmon will take care of whatever stupid digimon gets in my way."

"Jyou is here…. and fifteen minutes late," Koushiro said behind his laptop.

The three arguing Chosen looked up and sure enough, the blue haired bespectacled man dressed in a white dress shirt and maroon slacks strolled up to the group.

"So much for being Mr. Reliable," Sora snorted as she slid off the table and picked up her bag.

"Well, excuse me for not being perfect," Kido Jyou glowered at the young woman.

"Jyou, we said noon, not fifteen past noon."

The Chosen of Faith narrowed his eyes at the Chosen of Love. "Look, I had other things to do, now get off my back."

"You really should try a little harder to be on time, Jyou-" Yamato started but was cut off by Taichi.

"Will all of you SHUT THE HELL UP! We called everyone here to go to the Digital World to help my sister, remember? Now once you all have your heads out of your asses we can go, but stop ARGUING!" The Chosen leader shot everyone excluding Hikari an icy glare, daring them to even think of underestimating him. Instead the group fell silent and gathered their things together. Once he was satisfied, Taichi withdrew his digivice from the small pocket of his backpack and nearly dropped it. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong, Taichi?" Yamato inquired as he pulled out his own digivice and froze. "What?"

Sora blinked at her two friends. "What are you two freaking out about?" She dug through her bag, grabbed her digivice, and screamed. "Why is my digivice gray?"

The rest of the older Chosen Children retrieved their digivices and shouted in surprise at the fact that what was once a pale blue electronic device was now a very dull gray.

"Maybe it's just regular the digivices and not the D3s?" Koushiro speculated.

Daisuke stared at the strange gray digivices then grabbed his D3 from the small pocket of his backpack. "Shit, what happened to it?" He gaped in horror at his now gray D3.

"Daisuke, is this some kind of joke?" Miyako hissed as she held out her formerly red D3. "Why did you swap our digivices?"

"I didn't do it!" He glared at her then looked at Ken, Takeru, and Iori who held up their D3s, which were also gray. He turned to Michael whose digivice was gray as well despite having been from America. The Chosen of Miracles scowled for a moment then turned towards Hikari. "Wait… Hikari, can I look in your bag for a moment?"

The brown haired young woman glanced at him blankly but nodded. "I don't know what you'll find in there though."

"It's okay, I just need to see something." He fumbled around in her backpack until he reached the bottom and pulled out a similarly gray D3. "Damn it, yours too."

"What does this mean?" Mimi questioned, her voice now tinged with worry.

"Will we still be able to go to the Digital World?" Sora looked at the others in question.

Koushiro however shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. If they are malfunctioning, you could get trapped or worse. If I could spend some time studying them then I-"

Daisuke abruptly cut the computer expert off as he jumped up on the bench. "We don't have time! Hikari's memories are at stake and now all of you are going to back down because something seems scary? I'm freaked out too, but I'm still going. We've faced many things together and yeah, this might be a really dumb thing to do, but if we don't try, who knows what might happen." He held his D3 up high as if it were a sword. "I may not have my goggles anymore, and I may not have been the first Chosen leader, but I sure as hell am not going to back down when someone, anyone needs help. Hikari has no clue who any of us are and has been through hell and back, and now you are all going to just walk away? Some friends you are. Next time I need help, I know who not to ask."

Taichi stared at his protégé in amazement for a moment then stood up. "I didn't say I wasn't going to help my sister, so you know I am definitely going."

"I'm going too. She's like my little sister, so why not?" Sora put her backpack back on and glanced towards her boyfriend.

"Me too." Yamato nodded. "I helped get you and Hikari this far, didn't I?"

"And me. We've been friends for a very long time and I don't think a little thing such as our digivices changing color should put an end to that," Takeru said with a smile.

"I will go as well. We may have lost touch, but that doesn't mean that has to be the end of everything," Ken said as he walked over towards Takeru and Hikari who were still seated on the bench.

Slowly the rest of the Chosen agreed in a soft chorus. Koushiro set his laptop on the table as everyone gathered in front of it with their digivices in hand. "Okay, it's ready."

"Let's do this," Taichi said firmly. "Digital Gate, open!"

Suddenly a violently bright light surrounded the group and in a matter of seconds they all disappeared.

* * *

Author's Notes: This has got to be my longest chapter yet! Now, I finally have everyone headed in the right direction, but where exactly, we'll just have to find out.

A lot of this chapter, however I was not expecting, especially all the fighting, but I suppose it's to be expected. Once again, most of it wrote itself and I simply sat back and watched the fireworks. The next chapter should be equally entertaining.

Oh and I created a last name for Michael. I just couldn't see having him run around in the story without one, so I tried to come up with one that fit him the most. Oddly the name just kind of popped up as did the other created names. I guess you could call it "story writing itself" again.

I have also completed a colored sketch of the group. It can be found on under the same Pen name (Sailor Janus). It's not the greatest thing, but it gives you an idea as far as how they look. I actually had some trouble in the coloring process because everything smeared with the pencil and then when I used the computer program to fix it…. well, let's just say I've never used it before. Hopefully whatever future sketches I do will be an improvement.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.


	10. Between Worlds

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 10  
Between Worlds  
By  
Sailor Janus

The multi-colored swirls of light faded as the Chosen Children found themselves plummeting to the solid earth below.

Taichi lifted his head and groaned in pain. He opened his brown eyes and frowned, realizing that something wasn't quite right. He turned his head and found a gray pants leg in front of his face. To his other side was someone's arm. "Hey, why are we in a pile? That only happens when we leave the Digital World, not when we enter it."

"Excuse me, but can someone get off me! I'm being squashed," a foreign female voice cried out from below.

The brunette young man tried to move his legs but found them pinned. "Uh, I would if someone would get off me first. I kind of feel like a sandwich."

"Speak for yourself," a quiet male voice said from underneath the Chosen leader.

Taichi cocked his head to the side with a scowl. "Iori? Is that you?"

"No, it's your sister, of course it's me." The Kendo expert shifted slightly but wasn't able to relieve the pressure on his back.

"Um, still squished down here and can't really breathe either," the female voice said with an annoyed tone.

"Hey, where's Augmon? Augmon, where are you?"

"Get off me, Taichi," Iori hissed.

"Ow, my arm is asleep," another feminine voice complained. "Piyomon, can you give us a hand? Piyomon? Where is she?"

"Sora? Just who else is here? I would expect to hear Mimi whining or Miyako yelling at Daisuke… or HIKARI!" He paused a moment and looked down at Kendo Expert. "Iori! I need your D-terminal! We need to find the others."

"For once, that sounds like a good plan, Taichi," Yamato mumbled from underneath the leader's stomach where he was nearly smothered.

Quickly, the small group got themselves unraveled and discovered some rather odd things.

"Uh, where are the digimon?" Taichi inquired as he helped Yamato to his feet. "I don't see a trace of them anywhere."

Iori frowned as he dug through his bag and located his D-terminal. "I hope it's not crushed." He handed it over to Taichi who aggressively snatched it up.

"Let's see, most of the younger group are missing so I'll try Daisuke first." Taichi quickly typed something into the small computer but received an error message instead. "Maybe the battery is dead or something." He shrugged then tried Takeru's.

"That's not the only strange thing. Look at our clothes. They're different and gray," Sora said, gesturing towards her v-neck zip up vest over a long sleeved shirt with gloves. She also wore a pair of pants with a sweatshirt tied around her waist and sneakers all, oddly enough, in shades of gray. Her red hair was now chin length and framed her face. Only her bangs were flipped in the opposite direction. "We also have some weird new form of tag," she added, lifting the tag around her neck, which resembled the one she had during her first adventures in the Digital World only this one was clear.

Yamato glanced down at his own clothing consisting of a high-necked long sleeve shirt under a long open vest and pants with a pair of boots. On his hands were fingerless gloves, which were also all in shades of gray. He fingered his own tag and frowned as he looked at the others. "We look younger too."

Taichi made a face at the blonde's shorter hair which barely brushed the collar of his shirt then turned his focus to his own short sleeved v neck shirt over a long sleeved turtleneck shirt, and cargo pants with sneakers. He picked up the tag around his neck then ran a gloved hand through his longer, spiky hair. "Hey, my hair's back! Just how old are we?"

"You are precisely three years younger than you were previously to be exact," a new voice replied. The group spun around and found a hologram of an elderly man before them.

"Gennai! You're old again!" Taichi cried out in shock.

"And all of you have changed…. just not in the way I had hoped," the old man chuckled. He snapped his fingers and translucent images of the other Chosen Children appeared just as confused as Taichi and his group.

"What's going on and where is Hikari? I don't see her anywhere and neither has anyone else," the brunette leader shouted regarding his sister.

"Daisuke seems to be missing as well," Iori remarked, dusting off his pants and striped v-neck sweatshirt.

The dark haired foreign girl blinked and tilted her head. Her brown ponytail fell in the same direction as she looked at Gennai. "I suppose we're here for a reason. It'd be nice if _someone_ could enlighten us." She fingered the bow on her short-sleeved peasant top and pulled absentmindedly at her capri pants.

"And what happened to our clothing and ages?" Mimi inquired looking rather disgruntled.

"Our digimon are missing too. Where are they?" Sora inquired with a look of concern on her face.

"What is the reason for these new tags?" Koushiro inquired. "And why did I have to get dragged into this? I was going to monitor on the outside!"

Gennai put his hands up. "Calm down. I will explain what I can." The Chosen Children quieted down, eager to hear what he had to say. "There has been a time disruption in the Digital World, which is why you are all three years younger. In order to correct everything, you must find the Power Stones."

"Power Stones? How many are there?" Ken furrowed his brow in thought as he questioned aloud.

"Only you will know."

"What about our clothes? Why are they different and gray?" Miyako brought up, narrowing her eyes at the old man.

"Our digivices were gray too," Yamato added.

"That mystery will be solved once you acquire the Power Stones properly," the elderly digital man replied.

"Properly?" Takeru raised an eyebrow.

Jyou blinked. "And these clear tags?"

Gennai chuckled. "You will find out. Just be cautious. The Digital World is not how you remember it as." Suddenly he faded away as did the images of the other Chosen Children.

"But what about my sister?" Taichi yelled as he ran towards the vanishing image and punched the air, "Damn you!"

"Easy, Taichi. More than likely Daisuke is with her, and you know he'd never let anything bad happen to her," Yamato said calmly, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder.

The brunette nodded solemnly. "He better be with her or I'll have to hurt him."

"He hasn't deserted Hikari since he found her," Sora said softly.

"I wonder what Gennai meant by the Power Stones," Iori pondered. He turned around and blinked realizing that they had completely forgotten about the brunette foreign girl once Gennai had appeared. "And who are you?"

Yamato spun around too and frowned as he took in her familiar appearance. "That-that's Chichos-" he began.

"Don't call me that!" The teenaged girl snapped at the blonde.

The musician however raised an eyebrow at her. "But isn't that your name?"

Taichi scratched his head. "I'm really confused. You two know each other? No, offense, Yamato, but she doesn't look like your type."

The blonde glared at his best friend. "She's an International Chosen Child from Mexico, and no, I didn't date her. She was like nine when I met her and if you dare suggest anything further, Taichi, I will hit you."

"Chichos Rosa Luciana Fernandez Sanchez to be exact," the girl stated with a bow. "Or Rosa Sanchez for short, but I believe the way you would say it is Sanchez Rosa. Just drop the Chichos please. I hate that name."

Taichi gaped at how many names the newcomer had then stuffed his hands in his pockets as he looked her over. "Okay, Rosa. So, why are you here?"

"I have no idea. I received an emergency alert on my digivice. Then it glowed really bright and suddenly, poof, I'm here."

Sora smiled at Rosa. "Don't mind them and their rudeness. We originally came to find answers as to why Taichi's little sister's memories of being a Chosen Child are missing."

Taichi narrowed his gaze at the trees and bushes surrounding them as if seeing them for the first time since they got there. It seemed that they had landed in a forest of some sort, but it seemed oddly different than he remembered any of the forests in the Digital World to appear. The sky was slightly gray, but not nearly as gray of the digivices. He couldn't even feel a tiny breeze, as if everything had been frozen in place. Something was missing. "I guess we should start looking. With us being in the forest it might be tricky."

The sixteen-year-old girl raised an eyebrow as she picked up her now gray backpack from the ground. How it got there, she didn't know. "Hey, why is he calling the shots?"

"Because he's a former goggle head," Yamato said dryly. "You already know I'm Ishida Yamato. He's Yagami Taichi, Takenouchi Sora is my girlfriend, and the other guy is Hida Iori."

"You all know each other? Are you all from the same place?"

"Odaiba, Japan, yes." Sora smiled at the Mexican girl.

Rosa shuffled her feet for a moment. "Do you know a guy named Ichijouchi Ken?"

"He's taken, but yes," Taichi nodded as the others gathered their bags.

The girl pouted for a bit then glanced at Iori and grinned. "Oh well. I'm sure there's plenty of other hot fish in the sea."

Iori blinked and shrank back. "I think we should start looking for the Power Stones."

Yamato raised an eyebrow at the two sixteen year olds and dug in his pocket for his pack of cigarettes. He paused then swore, drawing out a package of gum. "What the hell? Sora, did you take my cigarettes?"

"No, and how dare you even accuse me!" The redhead glared coldly at her boyfriend. "Maybe it was your best friend or maybe you forgot them because you were too busy stocking up on hair gel!"

"I didn't take them!" Taichi shouted looking rather insulted.

"Well, someone did!" The blonde yelled. Then he glanced down at the pack. "Gennai's Chewing Gum?" He stared at the label and threw the gum angrily. "I don't believe it! That-that- ARGH!"

Taichi picked up the gum and read the packaging. "Gennai's Anti-Smoking Chewing Gum. I guess you can't smoke in the Digital World."

"At least I still have my lighter."

"Of course. It can actually be necessary. Cigarettes are not," Iori said softly.

Yamato scowled at him then sighed. "I guess now is as good a time as any to start looking."

The other members of the group agreed and began walking through what seemed like a completely calm and normal forest.

* * *

An icy breeze blew through Mimi's thick wavy brown hair as she stomped her foot on the rocky soil of the mountain side they were standing on. She balled her hands clad in elbow length gloves into fists and pressed them against her legs. She was now dressed in a sheer three quarter sleeved top that came up to her belly over a long sleeved top that came short of reaching her navel. A short mini skirt over a tight pair of leggings followed as well as fur trimmed boots and of course a clear tag completed the look. Her hair was also pulled back into two low ponytails. Her brown eyes glittered lividly as she paced. "This is just perfect. First we have a crash landing and are dressed in horrible shades of gray and now we have to set off on yet another scavenger hunt! Can this get any better?"

She paused next to Takeru who was searching through his backpack for something and narrowed her gaze at the blonde clothed in a high necked ribbed shirt under a zip up jacket with a pair of pants and sneakers, and a customary clear tag. His hair was shorter, and spiky in the back.

A sudden screeching noise caused the rest of the group, who were off in their own world trying to ignore Mimi's ranting, to freeze in wonder. A few seconds later a large object fell from the sky and landed on the two Chosen Children as a second smaller object fell on Michael, knocking all three of them to the ground.

"I think we stand corrected," Takeru groaned as he sat up only to find himself staring into another pair of crystal blue eyes. He frowned and tried to get up. "Um, hello?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall on anyone," the soft feminine voice laced with a thick accent apologized as she climbed off the two Chosen Children then gathered her backpack from Michael. "One minute I was in front of my computer checking my email and the next minute I'm falling."

Takeru stared in shock as the girl fluffed her blonde curls. She was dressed in a sleeveless turtleneck top with long gloves that went past her elbows. She also wore a short skirt with a belt, leggings and calf length boots in shades of gray like everyone else as well as a clear tag. "Catherine?"

The seventeen-year-old girl gasped as she looked at the boy. "Takeru? Is that you?" She squinted at him then jumped back. "Oh my, it is you! I cannot believe my eyes. What are you doing here?"

"We were trying to find some answers concerning Hikari's missing memories." He fidgeted nervously.

"Hikari?"

"Um, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but some introductions would be nice about now," Michael said running a hand through his shoulder length curly hair. He was dressed in a jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows over a long sleeved shirt with a pair of pants and hiking boots as well as a tag around his neck.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I am Catherine Beaumont, Chosen Child of France," she introduced herself with a bow.

The American Chosen Child frowned. "France? Wait, you're the girl that had that big fancy party for her fifteenth birthday several years back."

Catharine blushed. "That's right. Um, it was the least I could do for saving my life. I'm sorry if it was boring, but my parents always like to have everything rather lavish and extraordinaire."

"It was fun. I'm Tachikawa Mimi if you have forgotten. You already know Takaishi Takeru, then there is my boyfriend Michael Nicholson as you and he would say it, and the anti-social red head who is obsessed with his computer is Izumi Koushiro, in case you don't recognize them either."

The twenty year old clad in a large short-sleeved button down shirt over a longer one with a short pair of gloves and pants with sneakers and a tag around his neck lifted his spiky haired head and narrowed his dark eyes at Mimi. "I didn't exactly plan on coming here. I was supposed to monitor from the outside as I said earlier, not run around with you guys. Now we have no idea what to expect or even a way to get out of here and my damn laptop won't boot up!"

"I'd offer you a cigarette to cool you down, man if we were actually allowed to have them here so um, gum?" Michael offered the red head the package who turned his nose up and continued wrestling with making his computer work.

"I wish I knew where Tentomon was. He could probably give me some answers," Koushiro continued to grumble.

The French girl blinked. "No digimon?"

"We haven't seen any. Either ours or any others for that matter," Takeru sigh and shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.

Mimi growled and whipped around to the computer expert. "Will you just shut the damn thing off? It's evident that it's not going to work. Stupid Gennai decided to make our lives a living hell and take away anything that is convenient, evil sadistic jerk. I wouldn't be surprised if he was behind everything including Hikari's missing memories just so we'd do whatever he wanted us to do. Find the Power Stones…. They're probably up his-"

"Mimi! That's enough. Just cool it before you sound even more stupid," her boyfriend said sharply as he picked up his bag.

She spun on her heel and hissed at him. "Are you calling me stupid? You son of a-"

"MIMI, SHUT UP!" Michael glared at her and tossed her bag at her lightly. She caught it and ground her fingernails into the fabric. "I agreed to come along to help a friend in need. One of yours. And yeah, the circumstances have changed but we just have to deal because guess what? Bitching about it is not going to do any good, and that goes for all of you. Now grab your stuff and lets start moving. If we're lucky maybe we'll find one of the Power Stones before night fall." He swung his backpack on and started marching off as the others stared after him. Quickly they too grabbed their bags and headed off after the American.

* * *

_Power Stones. I've been here so many times so why have I not ever heard of such things? _Ken stared out into the overcast sky, a light breeze brushing through his longer bangs as he stood on the firm sand. He could hear the ocean in the distance, the waves breaking rhythmically and soothingly. He tucked a lock of indigo hair that had escaped his low ponytail behind one ear. He was now clad in a short sleeved button down shirt over a t-shirt with pants and sneakers, all of which were in shades of gray just like the other Chosen Children. He eyed the clear tag around his neck curiously then turned to his group.

"Ken, will you tell your girlfriend that this was a really bad idea and that we shouldn't have come in the first place?" Jyou grumbled irritably. His dark blue hair presently brushed against the collar of his turtleneck shirt with a few strands falling at the sides of his face. Over the shirt he wore a vest. Long corduroy style pants and dress shoes along with a clear tag finished off the look.

"Will you stop whining?" Miyako snapped, throwing her hands in the hair. Her long lavender hair hung loose with two slim braids framing her face. She was now dressed in a tank top and shorts that showed a slight amount of her navel with long gloves that nearly reached her shoulders and knee length boots. A simple choker was around her neck, but regardless, Ken found it hard not to stare at her after seeing the rather vocal girl hiding in overly large clothing for so long.

"I DO NOT WHINE!"

"YES, YOU DO!"

The former Digimon Kaiser shook his head and sighed. _Why did I get stuck with these two?_ Granted the three of them were highly intelligent and normally were good puzzle solvers. They would probably be very good as a team…if they could work together. Right now that seemed unlikely.

The teenaged girl swore as the med student stood his ground with his arms crossed, refusing to budge. She paced around him like a caged animal preparing to strike. "You know, I used to really respect you, but right now, I think you are a selfish idiot."

"And you've just become a major bitch!" Jyou spun around, positioning himself so he was glaring coldly into her brown eyes. "I didn't want to come here to begin with. Yeah, it would be nice to see Gomamon, but he's not here! We're stuck in this damn place with who knows what! I don't know about you, but it screams 'trap' to me."

"We came here in the first place to help Hikari, remember?"

"We were also supposed to have the digimon with us if things were dangerous! What are we supposed to do if we're attacked? Thumb wrestle?"

Miyako paused and wrung her hands. "I-I don't know! But we'll figure something out."

Jyou snorted as he began marching off in anger. "Yeah right. We're going to die out here so kiss your butts good-" He stopped mid-sentence however as the sand gave way under his feet and he found himself falling. The others looked on in horror and rushed to aid their friend only to meet the same fate as they too slid down the high slope of sand, rushing closer and closer to the crashing waves.

Oddly enough their tumble was broken by another solid object. Sputtering up sand the Chosen Children wiped their faces and found a pair of blue eyes staring at them in both puzzlement and irritation.

"I've heard of body bowling, but that was ridiculous! Were you guys trying to kill me or something?" The teenaged boy sat up and dusted off his gray jeans. He also wore a hooded jacket over a t-shirt and sneakers as well as a customary clear tag. He shook out his chin length blonde mane and gave them an odd look. "Who the hell are you?"

"Sorry, about that. The ground kind of came out from under us and we ended up crashing into you. Are you okay?" Ken climbed to his feet and bowed in embarrassment at the stranger.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm Wallace Bailey; Chosen Child of Fate from America. New York to be exact." The teen offered his hand in friendly gesture as the others rose to their feet. "Or Bailey Wallace as you would probably say it in Japanese."

"Ichijouchi Ken," Ken said, accepting the handshake with a smile.

Miyako however gaped in shock at the blonde haired American. "You're Wallace? Did you ever go to Colorado several years ago about a digimon? A Chocomon I think it was...you met a Japanese boy named Daisuke along the way."

Wallace's eyes widen with recognition. "Yeah! I remember that. There were some other kids too. That's when I got to use the Digimental of Fate. I wonder whatever happened to it….why?"

"I was there too! I'm Inoue Miyako." The lavender haired teen turned to her boyfriend with a slight blush. "It was before you were on our side."

"So, this is the Wallace I've heard so much about. Wish I could have been there, but I'm glad to have finally met you," Ken nodded.

The eldest of the group took a step forward and offered his hand as well. "I'm Kido Jyou. We haven't met, but your digimon did kidnap me and some of my other friends."

The blonde's face flushed as he shook Jyou's hand. "Sorry about that. I'm still unsure as to what had happened to Chocomon. It was so weird. As it is, it seems that neither Terriermon or Lopmon are here. I wonder why."

"Our digimon are gone too." Miyako said then she explained to Wallace why they were there in the first place and everything Gennai told them.

"Power Stones, huh? Well, I'm not fully sure why I'm here either to be honest. I got an urgent email saying that I should go to the Digital World immediately and that it was concerning my digimon. I get here and I'm completely alone...then you three came along." Wallace kicked a shell and looked out into the ocean. "There is some really screwy stuff going on here. I can't even find my smokes and I know I packed them. Then my backpack ends up dropping from the sky as well. I tried to get out of here, but my digivice doesn't work either. Then of course are these clothes...it's just weird."

"If you ask me, it's a trap," Jyou muttered with his arms crossed over his chest.

Wallace snorted. "Yeah, well, even if that's the case, we're stuck here so I guess we'll just have to do what Gennai said and find the Power Stones then hopefully find the answers to Hikari's memory problem…. Wherever she is." He shook his head and pulled on his backpack. "Well, maybe helping you guys is the reason why I was called here. Either way, I'm with you now and since I don't really have anything I have to do, I'm helping."

"Four of us working together would be better," the indigo haired teen nodded in agreement.

"Plus we can still contact each other on the D-Terminals, which means if anyone finds a Power Stone we can report it to anyone with a D-Terminal," Miyako said excitedly.

Jyou sighed and pulled a small notebook from his pocket. "How many groups do we have and who is in what group?"

The lone female whipped out her D-Terminal and began typing frantically. A few minutes later she squealed cheerfully reminding Ken of the old Miyako he had fallen in love with. "Well, there's our little group, of course. Iori says he's with Taichi, Yamato, Sora and a Chosen from Mexico named Rosa-"

"Mexico?" Ken interrupted. "Her name isn't Chichos by any chance is it?"

Miyako lifted an eyebrow at him then nodded. "Actually, yeah. He says she goes by her middle name because she hates her real name."

"That's two groups so far including us," the eldest Chosen said as he scribbled on the paper.

"Takeru is with Mimi, Michael, Koushiro and wow! Catherine!" The lavender haired girl giggled. "So, that makes three different groups."

"Wait. We're missing people. Where are Daisuke and Hikari?" Ken's face was etched with worry as he focused his blue eyes upon his girlfriend.

"I…don't know. No one does." Her smile faded and she flipped the small computer closed.

"Maybe we'll run into them, but in the meantime, we should start looking," Wallace said with a small smile.

The others nodded in agreement and together they headed out in search of the answered they sought, and in hopes of finding their missing friends, wherever they may be.

* * *

A soft murmur escaped Daisuke's throat as he winced in discomfort. "Ow, what the hell happened?" He touched his head gingerly and opened his eyes. He gasped as a pair of brown eyes also opened and stared at him in alarm. He blinked and realized that somehow he ended up on top of Hikari. A sudden wave of electricity awoke his dormant muscles, giving Daisuke the ability to spring off his companion before she could fully panic.

"What are you doing?" Hikari cried out, frozen in fear.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…." His face reddened then he reached out a hand to help her up. That was when he realized something rather odd. "Whoa, uh Hikari…. You look different….kinda like you did before you moved….aside from the clothes," he remarked on her new state of dress. Rather than the jeans and shirt she was previously wearing, Hikari was now clothed in a buttonless, sleeveless top that was tied at her waist over a mid-length sleeved shirt with a double layered skirt that reached mid-thigh. She also wore gloves that went a little past her wrists, calf length boots, the odd diamond shaped necklace and a clear tag. All were in shades of gray aside from the tag. Her brown locks were now shoulder length and parted at the side with a few strands framing her face.

She glanced up and pursed her lips. "You look different too." Daisuke's hair was a lot longer than it once was; sticking up in wild waves here and there with two strands framing his face the way it always did in his pictures. He was currently wearing a jacket with a zig-zag design on the sleeves over a t-shirt. He also wore a pair of cargo pants, hiking boots, and a clear tag; and just like Hikari, all were gray except the tag.

They stared at each other for a moment then turned towards their surroundings. Daisuke gave a low whistle and scratched his head in confusion. "Damn, this doesn't look like the Digital World. Where the hell are we?"

"And where is everyone else?"

Daisuke looked at the girl and once again around the dim, dank forest they were standing in. A chill ran down his spine at the strange cool yet hot temperature. Oddly, the atmosphere seemed to have an almost slimy feel to it. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Big Brother? Taichi, Where are you?" She dropped her head, her soft eyes starting to tear up. "He's not here. I don't think anyone else is either."

"It'll be okay. I'll think of something, but don't worry, we'll get out of here." Deep down he didn't trust his own words. If only V-mon or Tailmon were with them, then perhaps he'd have a little more faith. Instead he seriously doubted their ability to handle whatever was thrown at them. He ran a hand through his hair and blinked at finding it longer than it used to be. One glance at his clothing reminded him that he may not be the same twenty-one year old that he once was. More than anything it greatly confused him. He wished he had some clue as to what was going on. Now it seemed Hikari's missing memories were the least of their problems.

So, now what?" Hikari tugged at the straps on her backpack and bit her lip. "Why is everything gray? It's just like that computer thing we used to get here. Do you suppose that has something to do with it?"

"I don't know. We should start walking and maybe we'll find a way out of here."

"So we are really stuck here?"

Daisuke flinched at the horrified expression on the girl's face. He shook his head sadly and pulled on his backpack. "I don't think this is the Digital World. I don't know how to explain it, but we must have somehow gotten separated from the others while trying to enter the Digital World."

"But why?"

"I don't know, but I doubt we can get out of here with a simple flick of a D3." He took off one of the straps and rummaged in the small pocket of his bag until he found his D-Terminal. He pulled it out with a solemn expression and after a few quick keystrokes, shoved it back in the bag. "I knew it."

Hikari blinked, twisting her hands in her skirt. "What?"

"It doesn't work. I can't contact the others."

"Maybe the batteries died."

"Doubtful. I put in a fresh package before we left."

"Maybe they're defective. Maybe you put them in wrong. Maybe…maybe…I DON'T KNOW!" She burst into a fitful of tears and began to heavily sob as panic took over the little courage she had, practically smothering it to death. The teenaged girl collapsed to her knees, gripping her hair as she cried. "I don't want to be here!"

Daisuke dove to her side and placed his hands firmly but gently on her shaking shoulders. "It's going to be okay, Hikari. Please stop crying." It broke his heart to see her in such distress. "I'm sure the others are fine and we both know your brother can take care of himself..."

"I-I-" She stuttered then sadly shook her head, finding talking was useless. Instead Hikari continued to cry.

"I'm not going to leave you alone. I've stuck with you this far haven't I? And there is absolutely no way I'm going to let anyone hurt you. They'll have to kill me first."

She gasped and looked up to find a gravely serious face gazing down at her. Hikari wiped her eyes and threw her arms around Daisuke. "Why do these bad things keep happening to me? It just keeps getting worse and now I've dragged you into my mess."

He closed his eyes as he rubbed the back of her head soothingly. "I don't know, but we'll figure things out."

"But we're alone here. What are we going to do?"

"We'll do what we can. The best thing to do is probably to wander around. Maybe we'll get lucky and find someone who can help us."

"But how do we know?"

"I don't know, but it can't hurt to try?"

She hugged him thankfully then pulled away. "Thank you. I-I'm sorry for falling apart. I just-"

Daisuke shook his head and smiled. "It's okay. We all lose our heads sometimes. We just have to remember to pull ourselves back together afterwards otherwise we'd be scattered God knows where. Then it would have to take a really big vacuum and a lot of super glue to put the pieces back together."

Hikari laughed. "Thanks, I needed that." She looked up at the dim sky and drew a breath. "I guess now is as good a time as any to start looking."

The soccer player nodded as he rose to his feet and helped the teenaged girl up as well. "Yeah. Ready to start another journey?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she shrugged. "I just wonder where this one might lead us."

"Who knows, but in either case, I promise that I'll protect you if you need protecting….and even if you don't. I'll be right by your side, no matter what."

Hikari smiled up at Daisuke and together they started weaving their way through the strange dark forest, unaware of what might be thrown in their path as a few white flurries began to fall.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, they are finally right where I want them. Now the real adventure begins. Of course, not everything is going to be as it seems, or even as simple. This will certainly not be a hike in the woods. But at least it'll give them some time to grow and perhaps find some answers to their building questions.

First, I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed for reviewing. I enjoy reading everyone's comments and knowing that people do enjoy this story which helps push me to continue writing and doing the best I can and believe me, I expect this thing to be very long and involved so once again, thank you. Oh, and to clear up any confusion or whatever, I have not read any of Arpulver's stories. Whatever I write tends to just jump in my head and nag at me until I finally write it down. Most ideas are derived from dreams or just thoughts that pop in my head with a few anime elements for added measure. Other parts may have come from real life experiences from me or people I know or from my own twisted imagination. All of above includes added twists.

Now that that's cleared up, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as my birthday gift to all of you. I should have better copies of the sketches of what each group looks in a week or so. I'm hoping to be able to buy better art stuff since all of my stuff is not very good.


	11. Iced Over

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 11  
Iced Over  
By  
Sailor Janus

The hazy sky peeked out through the tall, lanky treetops. Sweat dripped off the faces of the Chosen Children as they wandered through the thick maze of tree trunks and bushes, all of which were oddly void of leaves, or what little they may possess were brown and dead. The appearance of the vast forest reminded them of autumn in New York only it felt more like a scorching hot summer.

"It feels like a sauna here," Sora panted as she bent over a dried out shrub. She frowned at it and turned away. It was evident there was not a stone hidden there.

"Gennai did say things are different than we last remember them here. This may be what he meant," Yamato said peering in a hollowed out tree.

"I wish he could have given us a better warning….or cooler clothes," Taichi grumbled as he kicked through a pile of leaves. "This is getting us no where. It's like looking for a damn needle in a haystack."

Iori sighed as he looked at his elders then glanced towards the Mexican girl who was pouting at a rather brittle tree. "The others may not be having much better luck. This is a really big place."

"I just wish it were cooler out," Sora groaned rolling up her sleeves. She was thankful her hair was shorter than it formerly was despite having lost three years to her age.

"This is absolutely insane. Why must we search for these Power Stones? What are they supposed to do anyway?" Rosa leaned back against a tree and dug through her bag for a water bottle.

"Gennai didn't tell us and so more than likely we'll have to find out on our own," Iori replied.

"But it's so hot out and I haven't seen one digimon since we got here."

Yamato made a contemplative face. "That may be the reason why we need to find the Power Stones."

Rosa frowned. "And just what are we supposed to do with them when we find them because I doubt they'll come with an instruction manual."

"Either way, we're going to look for them and my sister. If anything happens to Hikari I swear I'll break every bone in Gennai's body before killing him," Taichi growled as he stalked towards yet another tree and after a quick scan, kicked it in frustration.

"Take it easy, Taichi. Hikari should be fine," Yamato said calmly.

Their leader however spun around, his brown eyes blazing with fury. "And just how the hell do you know that, Yamato? Takeru is safe with Mimi and Koushiro, but no one knows where the hell my little sister is!"

"Daisuke is missing too," Iori reminded them earning a glare of his own.

"Daisuke is not sick, Hikari is! You don't even know how fragile she is," Taichi argued in a vehement rage.

The blonde however gave his best friend a look then swung his fist, nailing the Chosen leader's cheek. "Stop it, Taichi! Do you even know how ridiculous you sound? Hikari is a Chosen for crying out loud!"

"SHE IS STILL SICK!" He ran at the musician, prepared to slug him in the gut.

"WILL YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF?" Sora stepped between the two with her arms spread out, creating as much space as possible. She scowled at the two twenty-one year old men. "Fighting isn't going to solve anything. Hikari and Daisuke will still be missing and we'll still be stuck here trying to find some stupid stones that we don't even know what they look like or anything." Her brown eyes glistened with fresh tears and she screamed in frustration. "Stupid. You're all stupid!"

"Sora…" Yamato began, his deep voice apologetic.

The red head however turned away from both of them. "Just stop. I can't do anything either. I really don't want to be here, but we have to deal. So stop." She walked sadly towards a tree and sat down, pressing her forehead into her knees. She was sick of playing peacekeeper. It was a title that she had first adopted during their first adventures to the Digital World and seemed to have stuck with her since.

Rosa shook her head at the older Chosen Children. "You two are idiots." She too left them to stare at one another. Iori silently nodded in agreement and trailed after.

"Shit." Taichi cursed to the sky as the guilt seemed to cover him like a thick wool blanket.

"Yeah. We aren't starting out too well." Yamato studied the dirt as if it were the most interesting thing he had ever seen.

"Not at all." The soccer player drew a breath and glanced towards the rest of his group scattered in different parts of the dead forest. "So now what?"

"You're the leader, why are you asking me?" The blonde raised an eyebrow at his friend then rolled his blue eyes. "Apologizing is always the best road to take in this type of situation. Then we need to think of a strategy for finding the stones."

Taichi shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder why you aren't the leader instead. It'd make more sense."

"No. You have the Crest of Courage…or at least you did." He sighed and kicked some dirt. "I have to wonder if we are still worthy of those crests. The fact that we now have clear empty tags isn't very comforting either."

"You mean we may not be Chosen Children anymore?"

"No. We just may not have our crests anymore, meaning you wouldn't be the Bearer of Courage and I wouldn't be the Bearer of Friendship. We screwed up too much to be allowed such power."

Taichi looked down in solemn. "Maybe we're the reason why the all the digimon are gone. Man, have we screwed up!"

Yamato sighed. "There isn't much else we can do except continue looking."

"Yeah." The brunette turned his face towards the sky and sighed. "Sometimes, I have to wonder why we are Chosen to begin with." He shook his head and headed back towards the group.

"I'm beginning to wonder the same." Yamato grimaced slightly and trailed after his friend.

* * *

A chilly breeze whipped through Takeru's hair, sending a shiver down his spine. It oddly reminded him of an ice cube being dropped into a bowl of hot soup, and how there would be a momentarily cold spot before the warmth engulfed it leaving the soup a few degrees cooler than it previously was.

The mountainside was very rocky with jagged edges and very little grass or vegetation. He couldn't even remember the last time he saw a tree since they started climbing.

"Is it just me or is it getting colder?" Catherine wrapped her arms around herself as she bowed her head against another frigid breeze.

"It's bound to get cooler since we are headed up and this being a mountain means the elevation is higher and the air will more than likely get thinner," Koushiro replied in his matter of a fact tone.

The French girl looked a bit hurt by his answer. "I only wanted to be certain that I wasn't getting ill. I suppose the question was rather stupid." She focused her blue eyes on the ground and bit her lip.

Takeru sent a glare towards the computer expert deciding that Koushiro could have been a bit nicer about his reply. He glanced briefly at Catherine and debated saying anything before thinking better of it and instead trailed after the others in silence.

"I wonder where we're going and why we haven't seen any other forms of life," Mimi whispered, her eyes wide with worry. "I wish our digimon were with us. Then maybe I'd feel a little safer."

Michael unconsciously grabbed her gloved hand and gave it a squeeze. "We'll be okay. We just need to find the those stones, that's all."

His girlfriend blinked at his gesture and words then dropped her gaze to the rocky soil. "But what if we can't get out of here? I knows we've been in this situation before, but the digimon helped us and now…. they aren't here." Tears flooded her brown eyes. "I feel like we're being punished. Like we failed or something. We don't even have our crests and our clothes and digivices are gray….like as if everything just died or something."

"You worry too much, Mimi."

"Well, I think I have a good reason to." She pushed back a strand of hair and sighed. "It would also be nice to know where Hikari and Daisuke were….I know I didn't really say anything to them but…"

"They should be okay." The blonde haired American said reassuringly. "They've both been in the Digital World many times. They're good survivors."

"But Hikari doesn't remember the Digital World!"

"Do you really think Daisuke will let anything happen to her?" Takeru jumped into the conversation. "As long as he's with her, she should be okay."

"And what if she's not? Why are all of you acting so damn optimistic? How do we know about anything? Hope? What good will that do us? We're all helpless against anything and everything." Fresh tears leaked from Mimi's eyes. "Yes, I wanted to help Hikari, but I wasn't expecting this!"

The other four Chosen stood in silence as they let their companion's words sink in. The situation was rather desperate and without their digimon, they didn't have that much of a chance in the Digital World. Koushiro slumped to the ground and stared at a gray rock that very much matched his shirt.

"This is so frustrating!" Catherine threw her hands in the air then quickly clasped them back together. "I mean, we don't seem to be having much luck right now," she added meekly.

Takeru glanced at the French girl for a moment then sat on a rather large rock. "We can't give up though…even if there doesn't seem to be any hope for us," he whispered looking rather dejected.

"Yeah, well crying about it isn't going to do us much good either." Michael sighed and smoothed his curly hair from his face. "I'd say we need a plan, but damn it, I don't even know where to begin."

"We're sure going nowhere fast," Mimi dryly stated.

"First class ticket."

"I was about to say coach, but okay," Koushiro shrugged then stood up. "Since no one has messaged us, I guess the others haven't had much luck either."

"Sure seems that way," Takeru nodded.

Michael scratched his head. "Then I guess the best we can do is keep looking and maybe turn it into a game. Try to be the first group to find one or something."

The writer blinked then smiled at the suggestion. "You know that might actually get us a bit more motivated." His smiled however saddened as he reflected on one of their missing friends. "Sounds like something Daisuke would really get into…. He'd go completely nuts trying to be the first one to find a Power Stone…. Just so he could say he did it first."

"Daisuke should be fine. He's been in worse situations than most of us yet still comes out of it unscathed," Koushiro reminded them.

"Yeah, I'd just feel better if we knew where he and Hikari were."

"Um, we're not going to be able to do too much if we stand around and talk," Catherine said softly then bit her lip her. "I mean if we find the Power Stones, we may have a better chance to find out what happened to them."

The American nodded and once again took on the role of the leader. "Well, then I guess we better start hunting. Let's go."

The others exchanged glances then joined Michael as they trailed through the rocky mountainside in hopes of finding the Power Stones, and perhaps even some answers to the questions burning in the backs of their minds.

* * *

The calm ocean water washed upon the shore before gracefully drifting back to sea as more waves crashed down. The coarse sand sunk beneath the Chosen's footsteps as they slowly made their way along the beach in the search for the mysterious Power Stones.

Ken's gaze was focused on Wallace and Miyako and they walked together, reminiscing about the trip to Colorado that he didn't get to attend. He ground his teeth together as his girlfriend laughed at something the blonde American had said. Rather than say anything he stayed quiet and trailed after the group.

"…Then Daisuke went chasing after V-mon and Terriermon and all three of them crashed head-on into a billboard," Wallace chuckled from the memory.

"That sounds like Daisuke," Miyako giggled. "You made him so jealous when you kissed Hikari on the cheek. He actually thought you were like his best friend…. Then you went and did that."

"Well, I wasn't actually thinking back then. It just happened… Nowadays, if I pulled something like that off, I'd get slugged," he shrugged.

The teenaged girl blushed slightly. "Well, you took both of us by surprise."

"Sorry."

"No!" Miyako twisted her fingers together. "I mean, it was so unexpected. No one really reacted like that before…. It was actually really rather daring. I mean for all you knew, I could have kicked your ass into next Thursday."

"Oh, okay."

Ken glared at the two and kicked at a shell.

"If I knew we were going to be at the beach, I would have worn better shoes….that is if I were actually able to choose my own clothing," Jyou grumbled a few paces in front of the former Digimon Kaiser.

"Yeah, well, we couldn't, now could we," Ken stated bitterly.

The tall young man frowned. "What's eating you?"

"Nothing." Ken quickened his pace and brushed past the others heatedly. He shoved his hands in his pockets and glared down at his shoes. _Why does she show so much interest in Wallace? He's just a guy. Nothing special, just a guy…maybe I'm just a guy and he's the one that is special since she's laughing and talking so happily with him. Damn them both._

"Ken?" Miyako called out to her boyfriend in wonder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Just, leave me alone." He sped up his pace a bit more and continued to brood.

The other three Chosen watched him with concern as he stormed away. Wallace scratched his head raising his eyebrows at the dark haired teen. "Doesn't sound like it."

"Ken…" Miyako murmured softly as his ponytail drifted in the ocean breeze.

"He has issues." Jyou shook his head earning a scowl from Miyako. "What? He does."

_They think I have issues. They all have issues except Mr. Perfect, Wallace who has stepped in like some destined hero or something. He knows nothing. He hasn't dealt with pain or guilt, or rejection… He knows nothing. _Ken paused to kick another shell that had washed upon the shore when suddenly it glimmered. He paused and knelt down realizing that perhaps it was no ordinary shell. What he found instead was a small gray oval shaped stone the size of a bottle cap with a rather familiar marking on it. The Chosen Child carefully lifted it into his hand and gasped as it glowed and pulsed in his hand for a moment with a rainbow colored light before it quickly died out.

"Ken, is that…" His girlfriend started as she and her companions raced up to the stunned teenaged boy who was still staring intently at the object in his hand.

"It has the symbol of the Crest of Kindness on it," He replied softly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Let me see it." Wallace reached out to take it from Ken's hand when he suddenly cried out in pain. "Or not. Damn, that could have electrocuted me!"

Jyou looked curiously at the stone and rubbed his chin. "I suppose since it bears the symbol for Kindness and Ken was the Chosen of Kindness then perhaps he's the only one that can touch it."

"Well, is it supposed to do anything else besides shock whoever touches it other than Ken?" Miyako frowned at the stone then glanced at the grimacing blonde in pity.

"Gennai never told us, so I guess we'll have to wait and find out." The indigo haired teen sighed as he closed his hand around the Power Stone. "I wish Wormmon were here as well as the other digimon. They may have been able to tell us a thing or two about the Power Stones."

Miyako nodded solemnly. "Yeah, Hawkmon could probably enlighten us too."

The four fell into an uncomfortable silence as they reflected on the missing digimon. Ken drew a breath and set his backpack down. "I suppose since we finally found a Power Stone, we should alert the others so that they have some type of an idea as to what they are looking for: a stone with a crest symbol engraved on it."

"It's a good start," Jyou nodded when suddenly the earth began to shake. "Um, am I just being paranoid or is the earth shaking a bit?"

The lavender haired girl gaped as the jerking motions worsened and suddenly found herself thrown into Ken and Wallace. "It's not just you."

"You know, there is a word for this….. EARTHQUAKE!" Wallace lost his footing and fell to the sand. He quickly scrambled to his feet as Ken helped Miyako back up. "We better run. There is no telling what's going to happen being on the beach during an earthquake."

"You mean quicksand?" Jyou looked at the American edgily who paled in turn. "Nice to see we're on the same page."

The four exchanged glances of dread as they debated just what they could do to escape such an odd occurrence in the Digital World. All they knew was that they had to survive.

* * *

White flurries continued to fall to the dark soil as Daisuke and Hikari trudged through the thick snow. What had once been a few snowflakes was quickly developing into a rather serious storm as the wind began to pick up, blinding the two teens in a white haze.

"So this is what a blizzard feels like," Daisuke said through gritted teeth. He knew they should find someplace to use for a shelter or else risk freezing to death. As it was neither he nor Hikari were dressed for such weather.

"It's so cold," the teenaged girl shivered with her arms wrapped around herself, trying to keep as warm as possible.

"Don't think about it and keep moving. We'll stop as soon as we find someplace safe and covered." The Chosen leader bent his head downward as the storm intensified.

Hikari whimpered slightly as she stumbled to the ground due to another frigid blast of wind and snow.

Daisuke reach out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to her feet. "Come on, Hikari. We need to find a shelter." He continued on, still gripping her hand. _Damn it. There has to be someplace we can go because I sure as hell don't feel like becoming a Daisuke Popsicle. _He clenched his jaw and paused a moment, squinting through the white blur in hopes of finding some sign of hope. "Damn it!"

"Daisuke…. turned to Hikari and gasped at the sight of her bluish lips and ice glazed hair hiding an extremely pale face. He silently cursed, then released her hand. Quickly he stripped her of her backpack and added the heavy load onto his own then scoped her up into his shaking arms.

"What are you doing?" She gaped at him in surprise as he began his way through the snow, only more slowly than before.

"Just shut up, Hikari and hold on to me. See if you can find someplace that is covered like a cave so we don't freeze to death." Daisuke winced a bit at his own harsh words, but held onto the girl tightly in his arms. At least if he carried her, they would share each other's body heat despite the fact that now their progress would be even slower. "Sorry, but the last thing I think either of us want to do is to become a pair of ice cubes."

"I understand," she nodded slightly, wrapping her arms more securely around the teenaged boy's neck as she snuggled against him.

_Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it! If only V-mon were here. He could take us someplace safe and even make a fire to warm us back up as Fladramon. Now Hikari and I are probably going to die out here and there isn't anything we can do about it. Some leader I am. _Daisuke's legs felt numb as he took another step. At that point he couldn't even feel his toes he was so incredibly cold, but he had to continue on: for his and Hikari's sake. Suddenly the world seemed to spin as he found himself falling. He could recall Hikari scream before he completely blacked out.

"Daisuke?" Hikari squirmed underneath his weight and stared in horror at his still form draped over her own. "Are you okay?" She wiggled more, trying to free herself from her unconscious friend but it was no use, his weight plus that of the two backpacks had her successfully pinned. She leaned her cheek back against the cold soil and sighed as icy flakes of frozen water continued to fall, threatening to bury them alive in a frozen coffin. Warm tears leaked from her eyes as she shook Daisuke's shoulder urgently. "Please wake up! Daisuke, you have to wake up. WAKE UP!"

The teenaged girl closed her eyes against the snow, her body quivered heavily as she began to sob. She was trapped by her only friend who may be facing off with death at the moment and there wasn't single thing she could do but lay there like a log and hope that someone would come along and help her or by some miracle, that Daisuke would open his eyes. The only good that came to it was that she was a bit warmer than before, but that was only a tiny shred of light in the darkness that she was engulfed in.

"Someone…. Help me. Please help." Hikari shivered violently and choked on the snow that flew to the back of her throat. She coughed a few times and whimpered, wishing she could be anyplace but there. She didn't care about finding her memories anymore. All she wanted to do was to be someplace safe and warm. She felt so weak, alone, and frightened that she could scream until she had no breath left.

Fatigue soon swallowed her whole, forcing her eyes to remain closed…. possibly forever as the Chosen Child slowly drifted into the darkness with only one thought in her head, help.

* * *

Author's Notes: One Power Stone down… and many more to go. I didn't exactly expect Daisuke and Hikari to pass out during the blizzard. I planned the blizzard (actually all the events the Chosen go through were planned at the very beginning around chapter 5) I just don't know what's going to happen to them…. Hopefully they wake up soon or this story may have turned into a tragedy…. Nah. Something will happen, I'm just not sure what.

Thank you reading and reviewing.


	12. Raging Storms

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 12  
Raging Storms  
By  
Sailor Janus

"Help…" 

Taichi froze in mid-step as a familiar voice seemed to echo in his head. "Hikari?" His companions came to a halt as well, watching their leader frantically search the trees and bushes for something or someone. "HIKARI!"

"Taichi? Are you okay?" Yamato gave him a concerned look, appearing rather uneasy about his best friend's odd behavior.

"I heard her! It was my little sister's voice and she was asking for help. We have to find her!"

Sora frowned. "Taichi, I don't think any of us heard Hikari let alone someone asking for help."

"Nope." Rosa shook her head and wiped a stream of sweat from her forehead. "I think the heat is cooking his brain like _un huevo_."

Iori blinked in question at the Mexican girl.

"An egg," she sighed then began muttering to herself in Spanish.

"I'd have to agree with Rosa, the heat is getting to you, Taichi." The blonde haired young man shook his head.

"But I heard her! You have to believe me! I've got to find my little sister!" Taichi cupped his hands around his mouth and began to shout. "HOLD ON, HIKARI! I'M COMING!" However, before he even had a chance to run off, Yamato swung out and hit the brunette in the face.

"SNAP OUT OF IT!"

"But Hikari-"

"You're delusional! It's got to be over 100 degrees out here and there is barely any shade with all these bare tree limbs." Yamato sighed and grabbed a bottle of water from his bag then tossed it to his friend. "Drink."

Taichi however let the plastic bottle hit the dry soil as he narrowed his brown gaze towards the musician. "Are you telling me I'm hearing things?"

"Yes. Yes, Yagami Taichi. I'm telling you that you have reserved tickets to a nut house and I'm not talking about cocktail peanuts. Now shut up and drink."

The leader however was ready to pounce on his friend when an icy sensation flooded over his scalp and spread down his back in a sudden rush of relief that covered his burning skin. He spun around and found Sora holding a half empty bottle of water as she glowered at him.

"I just wasted most of my water on you. I hope you're satisfied." The red head took a sip from her bottle then turned away.

Taichi blinked and realized for the first time how flushed and sweaty his friends' skin was from the insanely humid temperatures. The dry heat was not doing any of them any good, and if anything else, was worsening their situations. With lack of moisture in the air, it seemed as though they were in the middle of a draught. "I guess maybe I was hearing things…. Sorry," he sighed and ran a hand through his quickly drying locks.

Sora nodded and leaned heavily against a tree. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I overheard you and Yamato earlier," she began softly. "And it had me thinking that perhaps you two were right. Maybe we did fail the Digital World and with Hikari being the Chosen of Light…. She was caught in the crossfire."

Yamato studied his girlfriend carefully. "Even if that is the case, it seems Gennai is giving us a chance to rectify our mistakes with having us search for the Power Stones. There is still hope, even if it's microscopic, it's still there."

"I just feel like something has happened that we are all unaware of and it is so strong and so painful." Her brown eyes brimmed over with tears. "I can feel so much hate and anger… it's like a violent ocean crashed down on this place in heavy waves threatening to drown us all and I hate it. I HATE IT!" Her body shook with a mixture of sorrow and fury as she slid down the tree and formed her gloved hands into fists. "This isn't how the Digital World is supposed to be. It didn't even feel this horrible when we had to deal with BelialVamdemon."

"Sora…" The musician moved closer to his girlfriend, but she looked away. He sighed and took a step back, and glanced towards Taichi for help, however, it was Iori that decided to aid him with giving Sora some much needed reassurance.

"Even if that is the case, and even though the digimon are not with us, that does not mean that we are helpless. As the old saying goes, 'If there is a will, there is a way,' meaning if we strive to find the Power Stones, and the answers as to why the Digital World is like this and where all the digimon and Daisuke and Hikari are, then we can succeed. We only fail completely if we don't even try." The Kendo expert paused momentarily to allow the his words to sink in. "There is always failure, and yes, we may have failed the Digital World, but that doesn't mean that we can't pick up the pieces and try again. We have an opportunity to do just that."

Rosa blinked and smiled at the teenager. "You are very wise."

Iori calmly nodded at her. "Thank you."

The others remained silent as they considered everything he had told him. Finally Sora rose to her feet and dusted herself off. "I supposed you do have a good point. It's just hard because I can feel all this negative energy and it just makes me want to vomit."

"Um, if you have to, please give us a warning. I don't care to get sick," Rosa blanched at the mere thought of it.

The red head laughed. "Don't worry, I promise to be as discrete as possible if I do need to."

Taichi made a face. "This conversation isn't exactly the most entertaining…. Can we just change the topic because I'm feeling kinda light-headed, but I don't care to revisit my breakfast so soon."

Sora touched her head as she swayed a bit. "I'm feeling bit nauseous too. This heat is really bad."

"It's not even this hot at my home," Rosa moaned as she fanned herself with one hand. "_Es muy caliente." _

"Can you please speak in a language that we all can understand?" Iori sent the girl a rather steady gaze as sweat dripped off the tip of his nose.

She stared at him a moment with an almost hurt expression. "Sorry."

Yamato pressed his water bottle to the side of his face and closed his eyes when an odd thudding nose made him jump. Blue eyes snapped open and fell on his girlfriend lying sprawled out on the ground, motionless. "Sora!"

* * *

"The way I see it, with there being five of us, we should be able to find at least one stone within twenty-four hours," Koushiro said as he and his group, which he had dubbed the Mountain Group, climbed up the steeper slopes of the mountain. "The Forest Group also has the same chances but their territory is a lot more vast while ours is pretty much straight up. The Ocean Group however only has four members which brings their ratio down."

"Yes, but so far, no one has seemed to have found any since we agreed on contacting each other if a Power Stone were to turn up." Takeru leaped up on a large boulder and sighed at finding nothing. "So, so far our efforts have turned up squat."

The French girl held her hands out to the side as she balanced on the shifty terrain. "We haven't been looking very long either. One of them is sure to turn up." Catherine bit her lip and hopped nimbly to a rock with a flat surface, landing gracefully on one foot and twirled around.

Mimi blinked at the blonde haired girl. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Catherine tilted her head in confusion.

"That spin. Are you in ballet or something?"

A slight flush spread on Catherine's cheeks and she winced as Takeru turned away to examine a stone. "_Oui_. I mean yes. I've been in ballet for as long as I can remember." Her blue eyes saddened and she bowed her head. "It's a very lady like activity. At least, that's what my mother always told me."

"Sorry, if I upset you. You just looked very elegant." The pigtailed brunette smiled.

"Thank you." The French girl clasped her hands together then continued her search.

Michael stepped up to his girlfriend and raised an eyebrow at her. "Didn't you take dance?"

"Yeah, but I was never _that_ good. She's like something you would find in the best companies and would even bring some of the most well known ballerinas to shame." Mimi sighed and continued watching the dancer. "I was never that light-footed."

"You're good at a lot of things."

"Name one."

The American ran a hand through his thick hair. "Shopping?"

Mimi shoved him in the chest, narrowing her eyes. "I am not just some ditz with a credit card!"

"Woah, I never said you were…"

"You just said I was good at shopping!"

"But you are," Michael argued then shook his head cursing under his breath as the irate young woman stomped away. "When am I going to learn to keep my big mouth shut?"

"Need help with your foot?" Koushiro stepped up to Michael after watching the couples' scene. "She'll get over it."

"I know I just… need to learn to stop talking. That's all."

"Not necessarily. You just need to know how to talk to her."

"Oh? And what was the last relationship you were in? If I recall correctly, you haven't been in one."

The red head's face darkened. "Shows how much you know." He glared at the American for a moment longer then he too turned away.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. STUPID!" Michael threw his fist into the side of the mountain and swore loudly. He clutched the now bleeding hand and bit back a sob. "I am so damn stupid!"

Takeru shook his head at the frustrated teen and continued hunting for the Power Stones. He glanced at Mimi who was muttering to herself then to Koushiro. The computer expert seemed lost in a thought as he stared at the ground. His blue eyes shifted towards Michael who was now cursing to his hand as if it was his hand's fault that it was now in pain. The only person he didn't want to look at was the lithe French girl. _It doesn't matter. I can ignore her. It's as simple as that. _He kicked a pile of ordinary stones, scattering the heap in the dirt. _It doesn't matter._ His thoughts wandered to Daisuke and how the spiky haired brunette had more than likely been feeling the past few days. Takeru never thought he'd actually be able to relate to the Chosen leader…. until now. One single question continued echoing in his head. What happened to all of them?

"Takeru?"

The writer's gaze drifted away from the rocks at the sound of the soft foreign voice. He pressed his lips together and looked up. "Hm?"

Catherine hesitated for a moment then shook her head. "Never mind." She turned on her heel and slowly departed as the blonde teenager could only watch.

He sighed sadly and sank down on a large rock. _Now I understand, Daisuke. I understand perfectly well._ A sudden cry broke him from his thoughts. Takeru's crystal blue eyes shot up and widened in terror at the sight of the French girl sliding down the side of the mountain. He immediately rose to his feet and bolted in her direction. "CATHERINE!"

The others looked up and gasped in horror as Catherine continued to fall and her odd knight not in shining armor but a gray jacket came rushing to her rescue. Once the shock was over, they too raced towards the two teens to offer aid.

"Takeru!" Catherine cried out in fear as she grasped for something solid to cling to but only found more loose rock and dirt. "Don't. You'll fall too."

The blonde boy however didn't listen as he skidded to a stop and did a move that could have only been taught by Daisuke, Ken, or possibly Taichi as he threw himself to the ground on his side, swerving around in a half circle and halted in front of Catherine. He gritted his teeth as he leaned over the edge, but found himself slipping down the slope as well.

"Takeru, you idiot!" Michael growled as he grabbed the boy's legs, trying to keep him steady. "Do you want to fall too?"

"I-I didn't think," Takeru admitted.

"Think you can reach her, man?"

The writer narrowed his eyes as he looked down the sloping side of the mountain. It seemed like Catherine was a good two feet away and appeared to have halted her decent as she clung to a tree root that was slowly being pulled from the ground. "I need more leverage."

Michael nodded, and pushed the boy further down as Mimi and Koushiro gripped his legs tightly. It was a rather dangerous maneuver because one false step and they could all end up falling to their deaths. "Okay, I'm going to lower you down and hopefully we don't all end up joining her."

Takeru nodded and stretched out his arms, trying desperately to reach Catherine's outstretched hand. His fingertips barely brushed against hers. "Come on, Catherine. Reach!"

"I'm scared, Takeru." Tears streamed down her face as she choked on a sob. "It's a long way down."

"Don't look down."

"Too late." Her chin quivered and she cried softly. "I don't want to die. I don't like being pressed into being a proper lady but I really don't think death is the answer I desire to escape my fate."

"You're not going to die. Just grab my hand," he said reassuringly.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can." Takeru could feel Michael's grip starting to give away a bit, but he refused to allow himself to be pulled up without the French girl. "Grab my hand. Please, grab my hand, Catherine."

She bit her lip as she reached up higher, pushing all her body weight into the hand that was gripping the tree root. She gasped as the root snapped and felt herself plummet for a moment until something tightened around her wrist. Catherine lifted her head and found a pair of intense yet friendly eyes staring down at her. She smiled in thanks and reached up with her other gloved hand and joined it with Takeru's. Tears continued to flood Catherine's eyes as they were both pulled back up to safety by their friends.

"Nice move, Takeru. If it weren't for you, she probably would have fallen to her death," the American shook the hero's hand with a grin once they were all back on solid ground.

The next thing the blue-eyed wonder knew however was that his damsel in distress had thrown herself into his arms and began crying into his shirt as she clung onto him. Takeru froze in shock at the action and stood completely dumbfounded as his companions watched. Slowly, he broke out of his stupor, a sad glint shone on his face. "It's okay, Catherine. You're safe now," he whispered dully as he stared down at the ground and wrapped his arms lightly around her. "It's okay."

* * *

The earth continued to quake as the four Chosen sprinted as fast as they could through the sand. They were harshly rocked back and forth as if on boat during a major storm. Several times they were knocked off their feet and ended up tumbling in the sand as they scurried towards the hill that led them to their newest team member, Wallace.

Wallace made it up the hill first, followed by Ken. Then together they helped pull Miyako and Jyou up. They rested for a brief minute, but suddenly the earth's rage intensified.

"This isn't normal!" The eldest Chosen looked completely horror-stricken as he balled his shaking hands into fists.

"No kidding." Wallace panted for a moment then rose to his feet. "We're not out of the clear yet and the last thing we need is for a tree or something to fall on us so we better seek out some form of shelter and fast." He ran a few steps before violently skidding to a halt. The earth before him opened up to reveal a stone similar to the one Ken had found only with a different symbol etched on it. "Well, this makes two. I just hope it doesn't shock me like the last one did." He took a deep breath, bent down, and scoped it up. He blinked in surprise then tossed it lightly in his hand. "I guess this one is mine then?"

"Wallace! Watch out!" Miyako's voice cried out.

The blonde spun around and gasped at the tree falling in his direction. "Crap!" He quickly threw himself to the ground and rolled away to safety. "This is totally insane. I think I preferred the digimon battles." He frowned at the memory of his two lost friends and pushed the thought from his head as fast as it had appeared then began running.

The lavender haired girl grimaced and quickly evaded a large tree branch. She shouted in both surprise and pain as another hit her bare legs, cutting into her skin, but she refused to stop.

"Are you okay, Miyako?" The American looked at her in concern, racing in her direction.

"I'll live."

"Shelter would be a good idea about now," Jyou said sprinting to their sides. His dark hair was now littered with twigs and bits of leaves.

"We're trying to find some place, Jyou. Just cool it, okay?" The teenaged girl hissed at the med student who was getting on her nerves again. Her face paled as she realized a member of their party was missing. "Where's Ken?"

Wallace paused and glanced around the chaos. "I-I don't know. I don't see him anywhere."

"Ken? Ken, where are you?" Miyako balled her gloved hands into fists, her brown eye wide and filled with worry. "What if he was killed? Oh God, what am I going to do? KEN!"

"Calm down, Miyako. We'll find him." The blonde leapt up on a collapsed tree. He wavered a bit then straightened up once his balance was gained and scanned the area. It wasn't until a few moments later did he find the former Digimon Kaiser scrambling back up from the beach. It was more than likely that he had to jump back down to avoid being crushed to death. "I see him, and he seems to be okay. He's just now getting off the beach." Wallace cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled. "HEY, KEN! OVER HERE!"

The other teenager glanced up and nodded. However just as he began heading in the direction of his friends, the earth began shaking even worse, cracking under his feet.

Wallace gasped and vaulted off the tree, ducking around another, and shoved Ken out of the way before the earth could swallow him whole. The two teens flew over the small cliff and back into the gritty sand of the beach. After a moment, the blonde sat up sputtering sand and turned to the other boy. "You okay?"

Ken lifted his sand coated face and blinked dazedly.

"Ken!" Miyako raced towards him and practically threw herself in his arms then pushed away glaring at him. "Don't ever do that again! You could have been killed." She swung her head to the America who was shaking the sand out of the wheat blonde locks. "Both of you."

"Hey, I couldn't just let Kenny get squashed by a tree like that. Besides, I like a little danger once in a while." Wallace chuckled with his hands up in surrender.

Miyako rolled her eyes. "Someone get the boy a pair of goggles."

"Hey, I'm not a boy!"

"Are you a girl then?" She raised an eyebrow at the blonde.

"No! I'm a man."

Miyako laughed and shook her head. "If you say so."

Wallace glowered at the girl then glanced at Ken. "Is she always like this?"

A small smile crept up on the dark haired teen's face. "Yeah."

"Um, shouldn't we find a shelter about oh, say now?" Jyou said as he stood warily before the others on the edge of the small cliff.

The American frowned for a moment at the realization that something was different about their surroundings. Then it hit him. "The shaking stopped. I think we're in the clear….at least for now."

"Good, because I don't think I can take too much more of this," Jyou sighed and wiped the sweat from his face as he sat down. "There aren't supposed to be any earthquakes in the Digital World. Gomamon would have told me if there were."

"Yeah, well Gomamon isn't here. None of the digimon are," Miyako said running a hand through her long hair in frustration. "At least we found one Power Stone."

"Two. I found mine as well." Wallace said, pulling the stone out of his pocket for the others to see. He furrowed his brow at the engraving and scratched his head. "I'm not fully sure, but I think that's the symbol of Fate. It was on my Digimental as well."

The three Japanese Chosen studied the odd swirls that resembled three pieces of string."

"The threads of Fate," Ken nodded at the symbol.

"Well, we seem to be starting off better than the others so I guess it's time to enlighten them on our discovery," Jyou said as he friends nodded in agreement.

Miyako smiled at the pony-tailed teen and touched his arm lightly. "You can do it. You found the first stone after all."

He blinked at her gesture but smiled slightly. "Right. We can also tell them about the earthquake. I wonder if the others have experienced anything similar." He dropped his backpack to the ground and started digging through the small pocket for his D-terminal. "Well, there's only way to find out."

"At least we're off to a good start," Wallace said as he stretched out his arms.

Ken glanced up and a wave of guilt flooded over him. "Yeah." He lowered his eyes to the computer screen and began typing.

* * *

"Hikari, watch out!"

The brunette turned around and quickly ducked under the fragile paper streamers of green and blue Miyako was attempting to tape to the doorframe of her apartment. "Sorry, I was just…" the flustered Child of Light began.

"Distracted?"

Hikari's face flushed and she furiously shook her head as Daisuke and Takeru passed by with large bouquets of helium balloons. They laughed with each other, too absorbed in their conversation to notice the short teenaged girl.

"Uh huh. There is your evidence ladies and gentlemen." Miyako snickered as the brunette threw her an icy look. She shrugged innocently and returned to her task.

Hikari watched the two boys for a moment as they sang in high-pitched helium induced voices along with the radio. She giggled at their antics then refocused on setting out the plastic cups, plates and paper napkins for her brother and his best friends' Yamato and Sora's, surprise graduation party.

"Um, can someone give me a hand?" Iori struggled balancing the large stack of gifts set haphazardly in his arms that was nearly higher than his own head.

"Sure thing, buddy," Daisuke squeaked in an extremely high voice as he grabbed several of the packages on top of the pile and placed them on the table. Iori shook his head and set the rest down as well.

"Too bad Ken is in Kyoto," Takeru said as he tied the balloons to the large banner. "He would have helped."

"Who said I was?"

"KEN?" Miyako nearly fell off the ladder as she spun around and jumped at the sight of the indigo haired boy. She shrieked as the ladder rocked and gripped the railing, trying to center it against the wall again. "AHH! How did you get here?"

Hikari raced towards her flabbergasted friend to steady the ladder, but stopped suddenly as the room fell silent and all movement but Hikari's own had stopped. She gasped at the sight of Miyako suspended in mid-air, half hanging off the ladder. Ken looked like a strange statue. Even his normally calm hair was defying gravity mid-run. The Child of Light turned and found Daisuke, Iori, and Takeru had met the same paralyzing fate. "What's going on?" An abrupt laugh broke the silence causing the brunette cry out in alarm. Quickly she spun around and was met by the same piercing sapphire blue gaze of a face shadowed by a well-placed hood. "You!"

"Yes, me. So sorry to disturb your little… party." The woman laughed and shook her head. "Actually…. I'm not. It was too _perfect_ and quite boring."

"But-but it's my life. And you stole it from me!"

"No, I did not and how dare you accuse me of such things. You, the Child of Light, and your stupid little friends…. you know absolutely nothing. You're just like them." The figure looked down, her words softened as she spoke. "They never understood anything either… but they'll learn…. Even if it kills them."

Hikari's eyes widened. She took a step forward and said sincerely, "I don't understand what you are talking about, but if you just give me a chance, I could help. I'm willing to help if you just let me."

"Help?" The woman's head snapped up and she glared at the teenaged girl. "That's what they always say. That's what _they'd_ say but they never even had a damn clue! No." She shook her head and clinched darkly gloved hands into fists. "I'm done with them. And I'm done with you."

"Please just let me try! I don't know what is going on but if you're in pain-"

"Pain? Once again, you with your perfect little life don't know anything. You are so ignorant!"

The brunette bit her lip and clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "I'm sorry for whatever I have done, but please, listen to me. If I have done anything to wrong you then I'm sorry. But please tell me so I could maybe fix it instead of hurting me like this."

"You hurt me by existing!" The woman hissed as the room fogged over and came alive once again. "I'll kill each of your stupid friends one by one just as you hurt me."

Hikari felt her body going numb. Something in the back of her mind was screaming at her, trying desperately to warn her of something she couldn't remember.

The woman seemed to know exactly what it was however. "Feeling a bit chilled? Soon that won't matter, because I know something that you don't know," she chided with a laughed.

"What do you…" A sudden image of her and Daisuke being buried in the blizzard flashed in her mind. Hikari's pulse quickened, as the room became coated in a film of ice as snow began to fall. "No."

"Frozen Light and whatever that idiot you're with is supposed to be."

"He's not an idiot! You are the stupid one, taking pleasure in hurting others. I don't know who you are, but I won't let you hurt anyone else. So please, stop this. I don't want to fight you." Hikari closed her eyes and bowed her head. Moisture soon gathered in her eyes and streamed down her pale cheeks. "It's horrible to be alone…. But we don't have to be, neither you nor I."

Blue eyes stared at the peaceful teenager for a moment then flickered violently. "Stop it! I will not allow you to manipulate me with your pacifistic ways." The figure threw a gloved hand against Hikari's face and stared down at the girl.

Rather than fight back, the brunette only blinked in surprise at her assailant. She stilled for a moment, her thoughts muddled by the icy temperatures as a blue tint formed on her lips.

The cloaked woman however gaped at her lack of response. Her hands shook with fury and fear. She took a step back as if unsure of what to do next. "Are you really going to give up just like that? Are you really that stupid?" She slapped Hikari again, but the girl didn't respond even as her cheek reddened leaving the impression of a handprint. "YOU ARE STUPID!" The young woman shoved the object of her disgust to the ground, but there was still no reaction. Instead blank brown eyes gazed back up at her. "DAMN YOU!" She kicked Hikari in the side then swore. "If I wanted to fight a doll, then I would, you stupid moron."

"I'm sorry," Hikari whispered in a barely audible voice.

"You're just as damn pathetic as they are!" The cloaked woman hauled the girl back to feet by her hair and arm then threw her into a table in frustration. "Fight. Glow. Do something for crying out loud."

However, a limp headshake was all the irate woman received. The teenager tried to blink back the fuzziness in her head. Only one thought occurred to her as blood leaked down her face from a cut on her forehead. _I'm dying. _A scream made her slightly jump as the figure threw a hand into a wall then kicked it.

"Damn it." She picked up a chair and threw it at Hikari. "GLOW, DAMN YOU!"

A shriek erupted from the brunette's throat as an intense wave of light flooded the room, deflecting the chair back to the opposite side of the room. The last thing Hikari remembered seeing however was an eerie glint in the woman's blue eyes before all faded to black.

* * *

Brown eyes suddenly snapped open as if having been electrocuted then blinked in confusion. _What is this?_ Daisuke frowned at the mass of white he was surrounded in until realization came back to him. _The blizzard. I must have passed out… oh shit. Hikari! Did we get buried alive? How much snow is on top of us? Damn it. Damn it. DAMN IT! Okay, Daisuke, don't panic. Easy for you to say. Oh, great, now I'm arguing with myself in my head. Okay, I need to try to warm up because I can't seem to exactly move anything at this point. _He tried to form a fist with one of his hands, but couldn't seem to feel his arm let alone his fingers. _Okay, that didn't work. Now how do I warm myself up when I can't even move? Warm thoughts. Um, summer… ramen… fire… Hi…no…. I'm not going there. Uh, freshly dried laundry…the sun… what? Where is that light coming from? _Daisuke furrowed his brow as the strange light continued glowing brighter to the point that he could see luminescent strands of brown hair followed by pale skin and gray clothing. _HIKARI!_ _She-she's glowing….again._ To his surprise, he found he could move his fingers again. "Hikari," Daisuke choked thickly.

A soft groan was his only answer as the girl shifted from beneath him. Her eyes fluttered open as the light diminished once again. "What happened?"

Daisuke carefully gathered himself off her and scratched his head as he gazed around the huge walls of snow that surrounded them. "I think you glowed again and melted the snow around us. Other than that, I'm not sure."

"Glowed?" Hikari pursed her lips in thought and touched her forehead. She winced in pain and withdrew her hand. "What…" a barely audible gasp escaped her throat as she stared down at the traces of blood smeared on her gloved hand.

"Did you cut yourself?"

She looked up at her companion and shrugged. "I guess so."

Daisuke reached down and helped her to her feet then examined the large cut on her face. "It's a little bit big, but doesn't look too deep. You should be okay, but first, let's get out of here before anything else happens." He glanced around and handed Hikari her bag. "I think the blizzard is over…. I haven't seen one snowflake since we woke up."

"Right," she murmured, still staring at the blood on her glove.

The teenaged boy ripped open his bag, and dug around inside until he found a small white box then pulled out a bandage and gently placed it over the cut on Hikari's head. He paused for a moment as he looked into her eyes then turned away to repack his bag. "That should help."

Hikari drifted her attention briefly to the boy then refocused it on the sky. Her eyes narrowed at an odd gray cloud and a strange feeling of concern filled her.

Suddenly large chunks of frozen rain fell from the sky, showering down upon the two teens as if an ice machine had exploded from afar. Daisuke looked up in confusion only to be pelted square between the eyes by a small object.

He swore in pain and knelt down to find the offending item. "Where are you, you damn…" He paused upon finding a familiar symbol etched onto a rock and lifted it into his hand. "This…"

"RUN!" Hikari cried out as she grabbed his other hand and pulled him away when a piece of ice the size of a softball nearly crashed into them.

Daisuke snapped out of his stupor and found that they were now facing off with a rather intense hailstorm as chunks of ice in multiple sizes plummeted dangerously from the sky above. "Crap if it isn't snow, it's ice!"

Frantically the two teens sprinted as fast as they could in hopes of escaping the ferocious storm with their lives.

* * *

Author's Notes: This seems to keep getting more and more intense with each chapter and I am nowhere near done yet. I hope you enjoyed my newest chapter.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.


	13. Shaken Emotions

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 13  
Shaken Emotions  
By

Sailor Janus

"Sora!" Yamato raced to his girlfriend's side and threw himself to the ground next to her. Gingerly, he touched her face then tilted her head to him and swore at the lack of perspiration on her beet red face. "Sora, wake up."

Taichi skidded to a stop and stared down in horror at his friends. "What happened?"

"I-I….She-She…" The blonde was at a loss for words as panic set in. The fear shining in his normally calm blue eyes spoke loud and clear. It was one of the few times that Ishida Yamato was truly afraid and actually showed it.

"We need to try to loosen her clothing!" Rosa shouted, her deep brown eyes wide and serious. "It'll cool her off quicker because she has too many layers on." The two young men stared at the foreign girl, not fully registering what she meant. She sighed and shoved them out of the way. "This is urgent!"

"She's right," Iori agreed rushing forward. "That and cooling her off with water should work. Unfortunately that may deplete our water supply. But we have no choice."

The Mexican teenager frantically but gently untied the sweatshirt from Sora's waist and removed it. Then she unzipped the unconscious young woman's vest and discarded it as well as her gloves while Iori worked on removing Sora's shoes and socks.

Taichi and Yamato only stared shock as the duo moved quickly then finally rushed to their bags and grabbed a couple bottles of water.

Rosa and Iori had just finished rolling up the red head's sleeves and pants legs when the two older boys sprinted towards their friend and splashed the icy water from the plastic bottles on her face and neck. "What do you think you two are doing? _Estupido!"_

"We were just trying to cool her off quicker," the leader said innocently.

"And you could have made her choke," Iori shook his head and snatched the water bottle from his stuttering comrade. He made a face at the bottle then lifted the scoop neck collar of Sora's shirt and poured the contents down inside, soaking her shirt in the process.

"What the hell are you doing?" Yamato glowered at the Kendo expert who merely lifted his emerald gaze towards the musician.

"Would you rather us strip her and sacrifice all her dignity? It's a little less embarrassing to be sopping wet rather than naked."

The blonde calmed down and instead refocused on Sora as he quietly nodded. "Do whatever we have to. The last thing I want is for her to die."

Rosa sighed. "It would be better if we could move her someplace cooler, but I don't know where that would be."

Iori nodded as he continued drenching the unconscious young woman. A brief moment later a soft moan emitted from her dry lips. "Sora?"

"Ugh, my head is spinning… .Why am I wet?" Her brown eyes opened briefly and blinked at the others. "What happened?"

"Sora?" Yamato spun around and relief washed over his flushed face. "Sora, you're okay."

"You passed out from the heat," Rosa explained. "It was really bad and we had to cool you off."

Sora looked at the brunette girl for a moment and tried to sit up, but stopped. "Bad idea."

"Drink. It might help." Iori handed her half a bottle of water. The redhead accepted it and thirstily drank it down. "I think it might be best for all of us to adjust our clothing to accommodate with this heat. Hopefully, no one else will pass out."

The group nodded in agreement then rolled up their sleeves and pants legs as well as removed whatever unneeded extra clothing they happened to be wearing such as a vest or extra shirt in Yamato and Taichi's case or a pair of gloves.

Taichi grinned at realization of the unique feature of his cargo pants. "Cool! I have removable pants legs so one minute pants…" He reached down and unzipped the material below his kneecaps. "Next minute shorts."

"Cheater," Yamato scoffed.

The Mexican girl giggled as she finished tying off Sora's red hair into pigtails. "There. That should keep your neck cooler." She glance up at the musician and snickered. "I'd offer to do the same for you, Yamato, but you'd look awfully funny in pigtails."

"Ha ha," he snorted snatching a band from the teenaged girl's hand and tied his hair back into a ponytail.

Sora laughed and slowly sat up. "I'm sorry for scaring everyone." Suddenly a tiny object fell to the ground, landing at her feet just as Iori's D-terminal chimed. She frowned and leaned forward to see just what exactly it was. A gasp escaped from her throat as a familiar heart shape caught her eye.

Just then the earth began to shake as Iori pulled out his D-terminal from his bag and nearly dropped it in alarm. "Something's happening."

"Is it an earthquake?" Rosa cried out in terror as the tremors grew more violent.

"This is bad. Really bad." Yamato carefully pulled his girlfriend to her feet and grabbed the hand that was not holding the stone.

Taichi blinked at his friend in confusion. "What do you mean? It's just a tremor. Nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, but this forest is practically dead which means the tree roots are frail and will cause the trees to fall if given enough force."

"Good point." Their leader snatched his bag off the ground and pointed out into the distance. "RUN!"

The others didn't even bother arguing as they too grabbed their things and began a frantic race through the collapsing forest.

* * *

"I really don't think now is the best time to sit down and take a break. We should be looking for the Power Stones." Koushiro sighed and shook his head at the small group gathered in the circle against the mountain side as they munched on a snack.

"After that last scare, I think everyone needs a break so park it, dude," Michael mumbled between bites of a protein bar.

Mimi nodded in agreement. "You try eating that crap they serve on airplanes and see how hungry you end up. It tasted like cow vomit."

"Yeah, well, my mom's protein bars aren't much better," the American wrinkled his nose in disgust and took another unenthusiastic bite.

"You know what cow vomit tastes like?" Takeru raised an eyebrow at them causing the French girl to choke at the question.

"No! But it couldn't have been much better," Michael shrugged then glanced up at Koushiro who was still standing with his arms crossed. The blonde sighed and climbed to his feet then grabbed the irate redhead by the shoulders and dragged him back to the others. "Sit and join us in cow vomit and cardboard."

The computer expert blinked as a plastic wrapped bar landed in his lap. He sighed and snatched up the item and tore the packing open. "Fine."

"Hey, we're not asking you to enjoy it. Hell, we'd think there was something seriously wrong with you if you did," Michael snickered.

"It does have a rather….odd taste," Catherine agreed. She turned towards Takeru who was gnawing on a chunk of his bar that just did not want to tear away. She caught his eye but to her disappointment, he looked away.

"Yeah, well I kinda snatched them from my mom's stash. She's obsessed with them. I don't exactly see why though. If this is supposed to be coconut then they totally screwed up."

Koushiro took a bite of his bar and made a face. "I see why you said it tasted like cow vomit. Yuck."

"So, are we actually trying to socialize?" The pigtailed brunette addressed the group who fell into an awkward silence once again.

"I suppose so." Takeru sighed and ran a hand through his thick hair. "I wonder if the others are having just as much difficulty as were are."

"You mean finding the stones?" Mimi tilted her head thoughtfully at him.

Catherine however shook her head. "No, I believe what Takeru is trying to refer to is talking. We seem to be have a bit of a problem."

"Oh."

Just then Takeru's D-terminal began beeping from inside his bag. The blonde scrambled to his feet and grabbed the electronic device from its place.

"Who is it?" Michael inquired as the writer opened the message.

"It's from Ken. He says they have found two of the stones and that they are small, gray, and are marked with a symbol…. His had the Crest of Kindness which could mean ours would have our crests as well on them." Takeru's eyes widen in horror as he continued to read. "He also says that they have experienced an earthquake, but no one is too badly hurt other than bruises and a few scratches."

"Earthquake? But I have never heard of such a thing to occur in the Digital World. It's impossible," Koushiro shook his head in disbelief.

"Apparently, the rules must have changed. Ken never struck me as a kidder." The American balled up his wrapper and tucked it away in his bag. "I guess we definitely have to watch our butts here."

Suddenly the ground began shaking, tossing the Chosen Children from one direction to the other as they tumbled into each other and the hard side of the mountain.

"Care to argue against this, Koushiro?" Mimi shouted and screamed as she was thrown into Michael.

Catherine grabbed a hold of Takeru as she shrieked in fear. "I don't like this. I want to go home!" Her speech quickly turned into rapid fire French as her panic increased.

The blonde teenager embraced the frightened French girl as tremors increased. _"Vous serez bien," _he whispered in her ear reassuringly.

Her jaw dropped in shock at him, but before she could say another word, a sudden shout brought them back to reality.

A large boulder crashed a few feet from Koushiro, nearly crushing him as the impact jolted the redhead to the edge of the cliff. His dark eyes widen in disbelief and shock as a cloud of rocks and dirt pelted him, threatening to push him off the mountain.

"KOUSHIRO!" Mimi cried out when she caught sight of her friend in grave danger. Michael shoved her out of the path of more falling rocks then raced for the redhead.

"Shit," Takeru murmured as Michael bolted past him. He looked at Catherine who was sobbing in his arms then at Koushiro. "Stay with Mimi, I need to help Koushiro." Quickly he rushed after his friend before the French girl could even respond. However just as he had nearly reached them, the ground beneath his feet began to split and crumble, forming a slope through the cliff and down.

"TAKERU!" Catherine tried to race after him, but was held back by the older young woman.

"Don't. He-he'll be okay," Mimi said shakily, her brown eyes brimmed with tears.

Michael slid to a stop in front of Koushiro. "Grab my hand," he called out but just as the computer expert had reached up, a deafening crack rang through the air and the two boys found themselves falling.

"Michael… MICHAEL!"

* * *

Ken closed his eyes against the gentle ocean breeze. He couldn't help but wonder how the others were especially after the fright that he had miraculously survived all thanks to Wallace; the one person he had been loathing only moments before disaster struck. _What is wrong with me? There is absolutely no reason for me to hate the guy. Miyako loves me. She was even worried about me when we were nearly crushed by that tree_. _So why do I still feel threatened by him?_ He shook his head and formed a fist with one hand.

"Hey Ken! Kenny boy!"

The dark haired teen blinked and glanced towards the voice belonging to the same blonde haired American who had become such an irritation.

Wallace smiled and waved him towards he and the other two Chosen Children. "I think I can agree with Miyako on you being a real space case, but there's no reason to brood, dude. We survived and that's what's important."

Ken raised an eyebrow at him then headed towards to the group. Miyako who was sipping from a bottle of water grabbed his head as he neared them and pulled him down.

"You're worried about the others aren't you." She looked at him with concerned brown eyes and sighed. "I know I am, namely Hikari and Daisuke wherever they may be."

"Yeah." He knew his girlfriend considered the sweet brunette girl as one of her best friends. In fact, before everyone had ended up parting ways, they all were like one big family. If someone had to relocate, everyone would stay in touch and visit when they could. One of Ken's most fond memories was when the group gave him a surprise visit to one of his soccer games after he had moved to Kyoto. He couldn't recall having played a better game than he did that day. After they had won, everyone went out and celebrated like old times.

"Ken?"

"Hmm?" His blue eyes flashed as if a thought struck him, but some unknown force or something was preventing him from actually acknowledging it. The realization made him feel very uncomfortable and anxious. An image of the Chosen Children before and just a few hours ago came next. The two groups seemed completely opposite of each other but yet, they were the same people. It was as if the crests had vanished. Courage, Friendship, Love, Purity, Knowledge, Faith, Kindness, Hope, Light, Miracles, even Fate were weakened and disappearing from the groups. This was not a comfort in the least.

Miyako smiled sadly and shook her head. "Nothing. I was just wondering what you were thinking about."

"The crests."

"What about them?"

"What if we have destroyed them by all of our pettiness?" He turned his attention to the sand, not wanting to see the shock on her face. "I was watching everyone when we met up at the park…. It wasn't the same as it formerly was with all the Digimon adventures. It was….different."

"Well, yeah it's going to be different. People change. It's just human nature."

"It wasn't like that." Ken ran a hand through his hair as he struggled to put his thoughts into words. "You saw Hikari and Daisuke, right?"

Miyako flinched. "Yeah, like who didn't."

"I'm not certain, but it looked like they were dying. Both of them. It especially worsened when everyone appeared. There was something there that wasn't before." He drew a breath and held it. "Something happened, to all of us, not just them. I'm just not sure what. There has to be a reason why time went back three years. Something that has to change or something."

The lavender haired teen glanced at Jyou and Wallace napping on the sand then turned back to her boyfriend. "Like what? What would have happened three years ago that we have to change?" She made a face and shook her head. "Normally I would call you crazy Ichijouchi Ken, but you make sense. I'm just not sure where to go with it from here."

Ken stared at her for a moment then dropped his gaze to the sandy ground. He pulled out his Power Stone from his pocket and looked at it closely. "Whatever it is, this may be a key to fixing things."

Miyako nodded slowly. "I've been horrible. I didn't even greet Hikari and Daisuke as a friend would. Instead I stared at them as if they were something abnormal and picked fights with everyone." Her eyes began to tear up slightly. "And the digimon are gone…. Then you were almost killed…."

"It's okay, Miya," he whispered softly his pet name for her.

She however shook her head ferociously. "No, it's not. I'm not suited for this. I shouldn't even be here. I can't do the stupidest little thing right."

Ken reached out his hand to comfort the upset young woman, but she pushed it away and stood up. "Miyako."

"No. No. I don't deserve anything. And that includes you."

Blue eyes widen in shock as the girl spun around and bolted away. "MIYAKO!"

He quickly leapt to his feet and sprinted after her. _Where the hell did that come from?_ He gritted his teeth and sped past his other two comrades who woke abruptly from their slumber.

"Whoa! Kenny, where is the fire?" Wallace rubbed his eyes and looked at the urgent Chosen Child.

"Miyako's run off!"

"Miyako?" Jyou blinked away the blurriness in his vision and brushed a sandy hand against his pants. A small glittering object next to his shoe caught his attention. Curious, he picked it up and found the symbol of Faith engraved on the cool gray stone. "I think I just found another Power Stone." When the med student looked up for the others however, he discovered that he was talking to no one. "Hey! Wait for me!" Jyou cried out as he scrambled to his feet and raced after the two teenaged boys.

* * *

Hikari and Daisuke dodged through the deadly hail, darting from one direction to the next as the assault intensified. The pair fought their way through snaking tree branches, thick snow, and massive bushes.

"This way!" Daisuke tightened his grip on the girl's hand as they wove their way around a tree. He looked up and gasped, jerking her towards him and out of the way of a large shard of ice that shot into the hard tree bark like a dart to a target. They both gaped at the knife-like chunk of frozen water, and bolted away from the tree.

"I'm scared," Hikari whimpered as they continued practically running for their lives.

"It'll be okay," he replied weakly, not trusting his own words to be the truth. A small chunk of ice flew down and cut into his jacket sleeve. Daisuke swore and pulled Hikari along with him in the opposite direction. "I've never seen hail like this before!"

Suddenly the brunette girl screamed in pain as a large sliver of ice sliced into her left thigh. Blood dripped from the wound, staining the pristine white snow. Tears stung her eyes as another shard stabbed into her arm.

"Hikari!"

"I'll….be okay," she assured him through gritted teeth.

The soccer star however clenched his jaw and he searched through the storm for a suitable shelter, but could only see trees peeking out through the white haze. He inwardly cursed as a large frozen ball plummeted towards them. He roughly grabbed Hikari by the shoulders and shoved her to the ground and threw himself on top of her. Daisuke glanced up long enough to witness the ball soar over their heads and barrel into the ground a few feet away. He breathed a sigh of relief and gathered himself off the frightened girl. "Are you okay?"

A shaky wide-eyed nod was all he received for a reply as he pulled her back to her feet. She gripped his hand even tighter as they took off at a sprint again.

Just when it seemed like they were about to reach a clearing however, the two teens found their feet slipping out from under them as they landed hard on their backs, skidding a few feet away.

Daisuke stared up at the sky in a daze then rubbed his head. The sudden solid coolness on his back alerted him that he was not lying in the powdery soft snow. He lifted his head and glanced towards Hikari. She seemed to be in a similar state of confusion as she simply blinked at him. He slowly sat up then shouted in surprise. "Shit. This isn't good."

"What?" She too looked at the ground and gasped. "We-we're on ice?"

"Be careful. We don't know how thick it actually is." He quickly scanned the glassy surface for cracks, or holes but found none. He also realized that they were sitting in the middle of a massive lake of some sort. He couldn't even see their trail of footsteps. Something else was missing he realized as he turned his face towards the sky. "The hail has stopped."

The teenaged girl hesitantly climbed up to her knees. "Are we safe?"

Daisuke open his mouth to reply but a low rumbling interrupted him. He immediately froze, staring in horror at the ice. "It can't be."

"What?"

"Shit, you have got to be serious…." His gaze intensified as he turned towards Hikari.

"Daisuke?" Her breath caught in her throat at the teenaged boy's determined yet nervous expression. Suddenly the rumbling grew louder as the ground began to shake.

"Run." He snatched up her hand as he rose to his feet, pulling her up in the same instance. Together they tried to do exactly as he said on the iced surface, slipping and sliding along the way.

Hikari shrieked as her feet skidded out from under, nearly bringing Daisuke down with her. He struggled to get them both upright but a chilling sound forced him to stop his desperate effort.

"Damn it!" The ice around them began to crack and sink into the freezing cold water below. He shoved Hikari away as the ice split and broke off even more.

"DAISUKE!" Hikari gasped as he tried to follow after, but the ice beneath his feet fragmented, forcing him to plunge into the water below. She screamed out his name again and tried to grab his hand as she too met the same fate as the once solid surface became no more.

* * *

A chilling whisper of a breeze danced through the cool stone walled corridors, swaying and weaving through the rooms of the large foreboding fortress. Sharp footsteps echoed as a darkly cloaked figured stalked towards a set of large metallic doors.

Sapphire blue pools studied the unique carvings before pushing through the threshold and into a small room filled with glowing candles and sparkling crystals of many colors.

They crept to one in particular, cast in a brilliant turquoise sheen. Oddly a plain gray stone sat idle amongst the shining crystal, cold and completely void of anything.

"You will not find anything of use in here. Not until we have what we need," A voice droned from a darkened corner of the room as shadows seemed to grow and dance.

The figure however said nothing, and continued to stare at the crystal. When they at last spoke, a voice full of spite was all that broke apart the calmness in the chamber. "All I want is what I deserve and nothing more."

"Then that you shall have."

Blue eyes sparkled as the mysterious person nodded. A small eerie smile spread across their lips. "I will finally be rid of them once and for all. There is nothing anyone can do about it. I've waited too long for this." Gloved hands balled into threatening fists. "Way too long. They will fall one by one like the pathetic idiots they are. I will destroy them all."

* * *

Author's Note: Much of this chapter was unexpected. The most surprising were Miyako and the guys falling off the cliff.

Regarding the languages, Rosa called Taichi and Yamato stupid and Takeru told Catherine "You will be alright." More on the reason why certain characters can speak certain languages will be explained as the story continues on. After all, Michael seemed to have no problem understanding everyone in 02. It would only make sense that he would learn Japanese from somewhere. So yes, there is a slight language barrier, it's just not as big as most would expect. Mainly because of how many years have gone by as well as their personal relationships.

I hope you enjoyed my newest chapter and thank you for reviewing.


	14. Mysterious Happenings

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 14  
Mysterious Happenings  
By  
Sailor Janus

The ground shook heavily as weakened trees swayed and collapsed. The five endangered Chosen Children raced through the deadly forest, struggling to stay alive as the threat of being crushed increased with each angry jostle of the ground.

Taichi sprang from the ground over a crashing tree trunk, then dove under a second one. He quickly rolled to safety and leapt to his feet without a second of hesitation. "This is insane!"

"The key is to stay alive," Yamato agreed, clinging to Sora's hand tightly as they zig-zagged around several uprooted trees.

"I-I'm feeling overheated again," the red headed young woman moaned as she ran along side her boyfriend. The blonde glanced at her briefly then stopped. He quickly grabbed her by the waist and lifted her over his shoulder and started the race for their lives once again.

Rosa panted as she trailed after the group and stumbled over a surfaced tree root. Just as she was about to fall forward, a firm grip enclosed around her arm, and pulling her back up right. She gasped in surprise at discovering her rescuer was none other than the rather stoic, Kendo expert. "Thank you."

Iori nodded as he released her arm. "Keep running. We need to find someplace safe."

"Right." The Mexican girl replied, well aware of how flushed her face was probably at that moment.

"WATCH OUT!" Yamato shouted to the two teenagers as a large, yet spindly tree began tumbling their way.

Rosa screamed in terror as Iori shoved her to the ground and out of danger's way as he followed close behind. The girl moved to stand up, but found herself sinking rapidly into the ground. "HELP!" The boy spun around, but lost his balance as the earth stirred again sending them both plummeting into a large hole.

"Iori! Rosa!" Taichi move towards the direction of the teens, but was halted as a tree landed directly over the hole they had fallen into throwing the Chosen leader back a few feet. He quickly scrambled up from the ground and raced back to the tree in hopes of helping Iori and Rosa, but the hole was completely blocked off prompting Taichi to kick the tree in frustration. "Shit!"

Yamato turned around, and sprinted to his friend's aid as fast as he could while still carrying a rather dazed Sora over his shoulder. "What happened?"

"This damn tree is covering up the hole Iori and that girl fell in!"

Another strong tremor rocked the ground, nearly sending the three remaining Chosen crashing into each other. The blonde swore and glanced from the tree to Taichi. "We'll have to come back later."

"What? But we have to get them out," Taichi said with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"We need to find someplace safe or we will potentially be crushed," Yamato argued.

"But we can't just leave them there!"

"We won't be much help if we're already DEAD!"

"Please, Taichi? I feel really sick," Sora said weakly wanting to end the rapidly growing fight before it got too out of hand.

Yamato lifted up his girlfriend and cradled her in his arms, his face completely blank as he glanced back at his friend.

The brunette looked up into the sky and exhaled loudly. "Damn it. Fine. We'll come back."

"Thank you, Taichi," Sora softly whispered, her head lulled against the musician in a limp fashion.

The brunette quietly nodded, too lost in his own thoughts as they ran through the collapsing forest. _First Hikari and Daisuke, now Iori and Rosa. Everyone else is pretty much split up. How many more do we have to lose before this ends? How many more times do I have to fail the people I care about? _Taichi's hands unconsciously formed into fists as they tore through the dead grass, shoved through the brush, and leaped over tree trunks before finally making it into a clearing. Oddly enough, by then, the strange earthquake had ended. "If only Augmon were here. He could evolve into Greymon and move that tree like it was only a toothpick."

"Yeah, but he's not here. We're in this alone," Yamato reminded their leader.

He didn't argue as exhaustion claimed him as well as the other two Chosen Children. Tiresomely they fell to the soft ground, bathed in sweat and dirt. Taichi stretched out his arms as he laid sprawled on the grass as Yamato and Sora lay beside him. Their bodies heavily ached, but even worse was their hearts. They were worried about their younger friends trapped in a hole as well as those they were separated from. With only Iori having access to a D-Terminal all they could do was think about the countless possibilities of danger the others may be in, without the ability to actually voice them.

Sora released her tensed hand, realizing that she had been clutching onto something the whole time as if her very life had depended on it. She brought the small stone to her face and studied the very distinct carving of the symbol of Love on its surface.

Yamato glanced over her shoulder and raised his eyebrows. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It has the same exact symbol as the Crest of Love so it has to be. It's a Power Stone," she nodded.

"Really?" Taichi sat up and reached out to take if from her, but withdrew quickly as an electrical-like current shot through the stone and zapped him. He yelped loudly and clutched his hand. "Damn it! That's the same hand Hikari's light burnt."

"Oh I'm sorry, Taichi. I didn't know it'd shock you," Sora apologized as a tinge of blush covered her cheeks in embarrassment.

Her boyfriend however smirked slightly in amusement. "He can't touch it because he's not the Chosen of Love like you are, Sora."

"That makes sense, though Miyako could probably handle it as well since she had the Digimental of Love."

"That could be true, then again it may not be anymore. I guess if we find any more of those things, we may be able to find out what they are supposed to be used for and if there is more than one per crest."

"Wait, Yamato." Taichi began as he ran a hand through his hair. "The crests are gone. What good is something that is connected to them going to do us?"

"We'll just have to wait and find out."

"I'm getting really sick of waiting." The Chosen leader paused for a moment then quickly unzipped his back and pulled out three small packages of crackers tossing one to each of his friends before tearing into his own. "If we have to wait, might as well make use of the time."

The other two didn't argue against it as they too indulged in the small snack in hopes to recover much needed energy and a plan to save their two missing friends.

* * *

The wind whipped through Catherine's curls as she stared in disbelief at the place where the boys had once been. The violent shaking of the earth had died down leaving the two girls isolated from their friends in nearly deafening silence. The only audible sound seemed to be Mimi's quiet sobbing. The heart-wrenching noise was slightly strained as if the young woman was desperately trying to pull herself together. The French girl grimaced as the boys' bags fell off the last remaining portion of the cliff. She looked at Mimi with wide fear filled blue eyes in concern and pressed herself more firmly against the wall of the mountain. "What are we going to do?"

"I-I don't know," Mimi sniffled as she leaned back against the rough surface of the mountain. "Wh-what if they're dead? I can't lose Michael…. Though sometimes, I feel like I already have."

"I've already lost Takeru," Catherine muttered forlornly. "And it's all my fault for listening to my mother."

"What do you mean?"

"She didn't accept the fact that I was spending so much attention on him despite the fact that all we'd do was communicate by computer. He wasn't in her standards. She actually liked him less than she liked Floramon." The French girl pushed a strand of hair from her face in aggravation. "She even forbid me to speak to him because he was not proper for a lady such as myself…. whatever that is supposed to mean."

Mimi looked at the girl thoughtfully as her brown eyes began to clear. She rubbed her tear-streaked face and sat up a bit straighter. "Why didn't you keep talking anyway?"

"Against my mother's wishes?" Catherine gasped in complete bewilderment at the idea of doing such a thing.

The Japanese young woman giggled at the reaction her suggestion had created. "Do you really think my parents approved of Michael? They didn't mind him so much when we were kids, but when we got older... well, we'd get into so much trouble. But I don't think I'd trade those days for anything in the world." Mimi suddenly froze as she drew a hand to her mouth. "I-Oh, my God. I think I really am still in love with him and now he might be dead!"

"I was so stupid. You're right. I should have at least explained things to Takeru before we stopped talking. I was so cruel to him. He'll probably never forgive me." Tears flooded the blonde's glassy blue eyes as clear Japanese became mumbled, broken-hearted French.

"Catherine, if you don't mind me asking, when did you learn Japanese?" The brunette lowered her eyes, hoping that the new conversation wouldn't be as painful as their current one. "I've always been meaning to ask you."

"Partly, my grandfather and of course Takeru. My grandfather always believed strongly in communicating with different cultures. First I learned English, which was very hard, then a few other languages that I didn't focus on too well, before Japanese. Since everyone seemed to understand English, we used that during my birthday party."

Mimi smiled as she nodded. "I remember. Your home was very lovely."

"It's just a place to live. Nothing too spectacular," the blonde shrugged. "But later, after Takeru and I hit it off as you would say…. he helped me with my Japanese and I taught him French. All on the computer of course, but it was fun, because we could communicate in a language that most other people around us did not understand."

"Yeah, Michael and I kind of did the same thing, helping each other with English and Japanese. He really wanted to come with me to Japan and meet the others since I told him so much about them. After that, it was a quite common occurrence since his family has a lot of money. His dad is a popular and well known actor so usually Michael would get whatever he wanted….of course he didn't always get everything."

Catherine smiled whimsically then blushed brightly. "Takeru even told me he loved me in French. I was seventeen at the time…. And now I'm seventeen again. This age thing is really strange."

"It's okay. I'm just as confused, but that is really cute." Mimi smiled reassuringly. "You should tell him how you feel next time you see him."

"I-I can't. He more than likely hates me for the way I had hurt him. No…It's better this way," Catherine said sadly.

"Two people being miserable is never a good thing. Parents are not always right and you can't let them run your life. You have to make your own decisions. You have a good head on your shoulders, use it."

The French teenager glanced at Mimi thoughtfully. "Do you do pep-talks often?"

"Me? Actually, no I don't."

"You're good at it. Thank you."

"You're welcome." The brunette sighed heavily. "But we're still alone and the boys may be…. no, we can't think like that. They've survived through a lot and this shouldn't be a stupid exception. They'll be fine."

Catherine rose to her feet and dusted her skirt off. "And so will we. Right, Mimi?"

The Japanese young woman glanced up then joined her foreign friend. "Right. We'll show them that we don't need to rely on a man to get through things."

Suddenly the earth violently shook again, throwing the girls back to the ground with loud shrieks. Mimi smacked the back of her head against the hard mountainside and looked up in a daze as an odd gray stone landed next to her. She frowned as she picked it up and examined a rather familiar etching. "Purity."

"MIMI!"

Her head snapped up in shock as she turned to the teenager who seemed oddly petrified with fear. "What is it, Catherine?"

"I-It's a volcano….. The mountain blew its top and lava is now coming out. Look."

The brunette spun around and gaped in horror at the bright red molten rock as ash rained down from the sky, threatening them with an agonizing death. Mimi grabbed Catherine's bag thrusting it in the French girl's arms then snatched up her own. "RUN!"

* * *

_Why did you run off like that, Miyako?_ Ken clenched his jaw as he picked up speed, heading off in the direction he could swear the lavender haired girl had retreated to. Unfortunately, so far there was no trace of her. This only worried him more.

What could have been a deafening roar of the ocean seemed like only a whisper as he ran through the thick sand towards what appeared to be a small dense forest of tropical trees and other foliage, most of which were damaged from the earthquake.

"So why exactly did she runaway? Miyako never struck me as the type to do stupid things." Wallace looked at the dark haired teen in curiosity, but only received a silent shrug. The blonde grumbled and raced after the other boy. "Look, I know its none of my business but what happened?"

Ken stopped and spun around as he cried out, "I DON'T KNOW!" His blue eyes were wide and wild, tainted with a mix of anger and fear.

Wallace took a step back in shock and lifted his hands up as if declaring peace before the former Digimon Kaiser could get any false ideas about the American's intentions. "Whoa, cool it, Kenny. She'll be fine. We just have to find her then we can straighten everything out, find your friends, and slap a big "Happily Ever After' sticker on this adventure."

The Japanese boy took a deep breath and exhaled. "Sorry. There's just too much going on."

"Yeah, you're worried about your friends, but I'm worried about them too. Even though its been pretty much like forever since I last saw them." A light breeze ruffled through Wallace hair as they began slowly walking. "Strange but friendly Daisuke, clever Iori, talkative Miyako, kind Takeru, and sweet yet mysterious Hikari. I can still remember that day so clearly. It was probably the first time I actually understood what friendship was outside of my digimon. Don't get me wrong, they were like my best friends, but human friends are valuable too."

Ken studied his companion then refocused his gaze on the ground as the overwhelming sensations of guilt from his past as the Terror of the Digital World; the Digimon Kaiser, consumed him once again. "Friends are always good. Why we turned on each other….I don't know."

"Life caught up with us," Jyou said in a matter of fact tone as he joined the two teenaged boys in their search. "It happens. Despite being Chosen Children, we're no different."

"Are we?"

The med student removed his glasses and shrugged as he wiped the lens off with his shirt. "We're not special."

Ken however came to a halt and stared at the elder member of the Chosen Children. "What makes you say that? In case you haven't noticed, the number of actual Chosen has diminished. The reason, I don't know, but digimon sightings have become a rarity. People oddly have forgotten about the BelialVamdemon battle. It's like it had never happened."

Wallace frowned. "I was wondering about that…. There is something strange going on."

Jyou glanced between the two teenagers and sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'm just trying to be rational here."

"Sometimes rational doesn't always work," Ken said softly. "Do you think of the existence of digimon and the Digital World as a rational idea?"

The elder of the group ground his teeth together. "Just get off my back. We all know I'm not cut out for this adventure thing. I was twenty-five years old for crying out loud!"

"And you were miserable. All of us were."

"I wonder why," Wallace muttered, digging his hands into his pockets as they started walking again.

"Things not going well for you too, Wallace?" Ken glanced at the blonde.

The American shrugged nonchalantly. "You could say that."

"Just as I thought. I wonder how everything had gotten turned upside down and what exactly happened. I mean it could be something, but then again, it may be nothing."

"You're talking in riddles, Ken."

"Maybe. Maybe not. The point is there may be more going on than we are aware of. Such as where did Daisuke and Hikari go? What happened to the digimon and the Digital World? It's completely indistinguishable. I haven't found one single landmark since we got here."

"Then there's these strange Power Stones with the symbols of the crests on them," Jyou began slowly as he pulled his out of his pocket.

"Exactly."

Wallace nodded in agreement. "You were one of those honor students, weren't you?"

Ken shrugged as he sped up a bit. "We still need to find Miyako and the rest of the Power Stones. From there we can try to figure out what happened to the Digital World. It's almost as if the data had been either erased or rewritten. Either possibilities are not the best."

"Yeah, before something worse happens to us than a stupid earthquake."

The three young men exchanged glances then began their search for the single female member of their group once again.

* * *

_It's so cold. I just want to be someplace safe and warm and sleep. Just sleep forever. So tired. _Hikari closed her eyes and her mind seemed to shut down as well. She couldn't remember where she was or how she got there, only that her body felt numb.

"Hikari, don't stand too close to the water," A young Taichi told his sister as they walked along a pier in an old fishing town they were vacationing in.

The little girl however leaned over the edge, peering down at something in the water that had caught her eye. She couldn't quite tell what it was and moved closer until she had lost her balance and plunged into the cold water below.

"HIKARI!"

She gasped, but rather than fill her lungs with air it was water. She sputtered and flailed her arms and legs, fighting to surface from the frigid water she was submerged in. Suddenly, something encompassed around her wrist and pulled her up. Just as she was about to surrender to the murky depths, her weak body was yanked towards to the surface. The brunette haired girl coughed loudly, gasping for much needed oxygen.

"Hikari! Are you okay?"

She turned her head and found Daisuke looking at her with concern in his dark eyes. He didn't seem to fair much better as he continued treading the icy water of the strange world they were trapped in. The memory quickly faded and she focused back on the reality of their situation. Both teens knew they couldn't keep going on for much longer. "Cold," she shivered violently.

Daisuke pulled Hikari closer to him. Her eyes widened as she gave him a bewildered expression. When she glanced at him again he looked very serious as he spoke. "If we huddle close together, we can retain more body heat, helping us stay alive longer, but you have to trust me."

The brunette haired girl bit her lip then nodded. "Okay. I trust you. Just please don't let us die."

The teenaged boy said nothing and pulled his companion closer to him. He could feel her warm breath on the side of his face as she relaxed in his arms. Once again however, he was at loss as far as what exactly to do. He wished there were at least something they could grab onto, but now he couldn't even see any ice. It was as if it had never existed in the first place. "What is going on here?"

Hikari winced as she noted the same thing. "Someone or something is trying to kill us. It's the only explanation."

"Over my dead body." Daisuke was about to make another comment when suddenly Hikari's head fell back as she became limp in his arms. "Hikari? Hikari! Wake up!" He shook her gently, but she didn't come to. The boy's breath caught in his throat as he stared at her in fear. "No, Hikari, open your eyes, damn it! SHIT!" Abruptly, she slipped out of his grasp and back under the chilling waters. Daisuke fought to reach out for her as panic took over, but she was falling too fast. "HIKARI!"

Suddenly a shock of bright glowing light shot out of the water and radiated through the large lake. The temperature slowly began to warm to a more bearable degree.

The teenaged boy's jaw dropped as Hikari arose to the surface, lying on her back with her eyes closed. She appeared completely serene with her hair floating around her head and her arms at her sides. The glow slowly diminished as he drew closer.

Brown eyes fluttered open and stared at Daisuke in question. She tried to sit up not realizing where she was and sunk deeper in the water with a cry of surprise. She broke back through the surface and frowned. "How did the water get so warm?"

Daisuke said nothing and instead enveloped her in his arms, hugging her tight, never wanting to let go.

"Daisuke?" The girl hugged him back, but was still greatly confused by his actions.

"I'm just glad you're okay. You passed out then sank. I thought you died….I-I'm glad you didn't."

A small smile appeared on Hikari's lips. "I'm happy I didn't either."

He let her go and spun around, freezing in shock as he gaped at the sight of a darkly lit forest directly behind them. "Where did that come from?"

Hikari looked as well, an intense shiver ran down her spine. She swallowed thickly and swam towards the forest. "Our next mission."

"Mission?" Daisuke quickly trailed after her, tripping over their bags as he climbed out of the water. He stared completely flabbergasted at the two backpacks. "What the hell? Where did these come from? What the hell is going on here!"

"There's only one way to find out. We continue on." The female Chosen Child retrieved her bag and despite being dripping wet, pulled it on then turned to her friend.

The soccer star sighed as he too grabbed his and slung it over his shoulder. He felt very uneasy about the whole thing, but if it meant finding Hikari's memories and the others, he'd be willing to do just about anything. "Let's go."

Hikari nodded and together they approached the foreboding forest, unaware of what may lurk inside.

* * *

Author's Notes: I hope you enjoyed my newest chapter. There is a lot of stuff in this one that I am puzzled over myself, so I'm intrigued as to what is going on. I have a small outline with lots of missing detail, but the new information is rather mind-spinning, and I'm the one writing this! But needless to say, it kind of makes sense. 


	15. Chaotic Visions

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 15  
Chaotic Visions  
By  
Sailor Janus

Iori groaned as he weakly opened his emerald green eyes then squeezed them shut again. His whole body ached and his head felt even worse. He sucked in a breath and forced himself to sit up.

"Are you awake?"

The Kendo expert's eyes shot open in warning. He searched the dim lighting for the source only to find the Mexican girl staring at him from the opposite side of the strange dirty room. Oddly enough, she was covered in dirt as well. "What happened?"

"We fell in a big hole during the earthquake. Don't you remember?" Rosa jumped as her brown eyes filled with concern. "Oh no! You didn't hit your head, did you? You still remember your name, right?"

Iori glanced back at her then at their surroundings. He noted that walls were actually made of compacted soil and little else. He could vaguely recall the actual fall as the other Chosen were yelling for them. It was evident the others had not met the same fate which meant there was a chance they could be saved.

"How are we going to get out of here?"

"I don't know."

Rosa sighed and tried to dust off her shirt, but instead wound up grinding the dirt even further into the material. She made a face in disgust. "So we really are stuck in here," she murmured. "What are we going to do now?"

"I guess wait and hope Taichi and the others can get us out." Iori leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

The teenaged girl studied him thoughtfully and bit her lip. "At least the ground is no longer shaking so we don't have to worry about a cave in."

Iori silently nodded in agreement.

"Funny how I'm stuck in the earth when my digimon is a rock digimon."

"Do you always talk so much?"

Rosa winced and drew her knees to her chest. "Only when I'm nervous or scared. Mama used to call me her little panic button. She could always tell when something was wrong."

The boy looked at her curiously. "And you're from Mexico?"

_"Sí."_

"I can understand how you might know English, but why do you know Japanese? It isn't a commonly learned language," the Japanese teen inquired.

The girl merely shrugged. "I just wanted to learn the language…. Especially after meeting Ken, and Gotsumon could speak Japanese too. Actually he could speak many languages, but since digimon are created from data, I guess it would make sense that they would know many things including languages."

Iori nodded then closed his eyes as they sat in silence again.

* * *

Taichi awoke with a start as if jolted awake by some unknown force. He gazed around in confusion at the dried up field he, Yamato, and Sora were lying in. Immediately, the brunette sat up as though realization had just smacked him painfully upside the head. "We fell asleep!"

"What?" The red haired young woman gasped out loud and glanced towards her boyfriend who wore similar expression of shock and disbelief on his face.

"Shit. Iori and Rosa…. How long have we been asleep?" Yamato ran a hand through his hair as they scrambled to their feet, ignoring aching tense muscles as they moved.

The Chosen leader frantically snatched up his bag then began shifting his feet anxiously. "I don't know but we have to get them out of that hole!" He gave his friends little notice then bolted back into the forest. The couple exchanged glances, picked up their own bags, and raced after him.

They did not have too far to go however as Taichi froze in his tracks. An odd smell caught his attention making him feel even more uneasy than he already was. "Is that…"

"Smoke," the blonde finished with an edge in his voice.

"There's a fire!" Sora cried out as she stared at the growing blaze snaking through the dead forest.

"We have to get them out of there now!" Taichi tore through the burning forest without warning in search of the location where they had left the two teens trapped in a large hole. He sprinted a few paces, but just as he leapt over a log, a shiny object suddenly caught his eye. The brunette turned to his friends briefly then back to the mysterious object surrounded by a ring of fire. "Be right back."

"Taichi, what the hell are you doing?" Yamato swore as his best friend propelled himself into the flames. Sora shrieked in fear for their friend and clutched onto her boyfriend's arm. "Taichi, you idiot!"

The Chosen Leader however ignored the blonde, landing solidly on his feet. He scooped up what appeared to be a small stone then vaulted back through the flames in triumph to his friends with little damage.

"What did you do that for?" Sora yelled, racing up to the young man who seemed to have risked life and limb for no good reason at all. She pushed him in the chest lightly and a sent a cool glare his way. "You could have been killed!" Yamato looked at him expressionlessly as he pulled his girlfriend away.

"But I wasn't and I got this," he replied with a grin as he held out the small gray stone with a rather familiar symbol on it.

"Courage." She whispered taking a step back as she studied the etching. "Well, you definitely have that in spades at the moment, Yagami Taichi."

The musician sighed then studied their surroundings for the fallen tree that had concealed the hole containing the missing Chosen Children. He made a face at the building fire knowing that their situation would only decline the longer they waited. "We better find them now."

Suddenly the ground began to shake again. Sora screamed as everyone fought to maintain his or her balance. Yamato grabbed his girlfriend's arm, trying to steady each other as Taichi fell backwards to the ground. Just then a sickening snapping sound caught their attention as the last remaining trees collapsed, adding even more fuel to the fire and increasing the building smoke. The three Chosen Children coughed and gasped for air as the heat from the flames intensified, and the fire grew closer.

Yamato yanked Sora between himself and Taichi and they huddled together. "This doesn't look good."

"We're gonna be flame broiled," the leader growled as he searched for an opening amongst the fire, but could find none.

"So much for helping Iori and Rosa," the red head said sadly.

Another strange sound caught their attention but before they could look for the source, the three Chosen Children found themselves falling through the earth as it began to shake once again.

* * *

Iori's eyes snapped open as the ground started to quake. He quickly rose to his feet and grabbed his bag as Rosa did the same. He grimaced at their prison, slowly backing towards the Mexican girl. "I hope this doesn't create a cave in."

"What if it does? Then what are we going to do?" Rosa whimpered as dirt crumbled from above, showering down upon them. "We're going to be buried alive!"

"Shh. Don't say things like that. There has got to be a way out. Feel around the walls. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a cavern of some sort."

The teenaged girl brushed the tears from her eyes then moved to the nearest wall as her companion did the same. "What if we don't find anything?"

Iori said nothing as he looked, pausing only briefly to steady himself when a particular violent tremor almost knocked them off their feet. He glanced towards the crying girl and clenched his jaw tightly trying to force himself to concentrate. Just then another jolt sent Rosa flying backwards into him, resulting in two teens bursting through the wall upon impact.

"Ow. That hurt." The Mexican girl winced as she touched her head and groaned in pain.

"Can you please get off me?" Iori stared up at the girl with an unreadable expression on his face, realizing that they were pretty much nose to nose.

She flushed to a deep crimson and quickly crawled off him. "Sorry!" Rosa sat up then gasped out loud in surprise.

The Kendo expert looked as well and slowly stood up. What they had expected to be a small cavern was more like a vast cave with a small stream running along the center of it. "If there is water then it might lead us out of here. Come on." He quickly headed towards the stream then paused at the sight of an odd looking stone. Iori frowned then picked it up. Oddly, it felt warm in his hand. He examined it closely and found a rather odd symbol etched on it.

"Iori?" Rosa called out as she glanced back at him in concern.

He slid the stone into his pocket and quickened his pace to join her. "It's nothing. Let's go."

The Mexican girl continued walking and suddenly stopped as she let out a blood-curdling scream. Iori raced to her side without thinking and stood protectively in front of her.

"What is it?"

"I think they're dead. Your friends. They-they're not moving," she replied in a broken voice as she started to cry and mumble in unintelligible Spanish.

Iori stepped closer to the pile of limbs that appeared to be the three older Chosen Children. He quietly approached Taichi who was flat on his back and checked the leader's pulse. After a moment, the teenaged boy released a sigh of relief. "They're not dead. Just knocked out," he replied as he moved to Yamato and Sora.

Rosa sniffled and clasped her hands together. "Well, what do we do now?"

"I suppose we'll just have to wait until they wake up."

"And if they don't?"

"They have to…. They just have to."

* * *

Michael groaned as his eyes fluttered open. He rolled over and stared at the ground for a moment before turning back around to find Koushiro typing madly on his laptop. "Where-where's Mimi?"

"Probably still on the mountain," the red head answered. He grumbled loudly at the computer then snapped it shut. "The damn thing is still not working."

"Wait. We FELL off the mountain?" The American gaped at the other Chosen who nodded in response.

"Yeah. You tried to save me during the earthquake." Koushiro hesitated for a moment. "By the way, thank you."

Michael frowned at the sight of their backpacks and scratched his head. "Then where did those come from?"

"Must have fallen as well."

"Wait. Isn't that Takeru's bag?" Michael pointed to the gray backpack amongst his and the computer expert's. Is he here too? Where is he?"

Koushiro sighed. "I-I don't know. There was too much going on. He may still be up on the mountain, or he may have fallen as well."

"Well, we either need to get back up there or they need to come down here." The American gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists. "I hate getting split up. What if Mimi gets hurt or needs help? Damn it!"

The computer expert studied his companion carefully. "The best thing we can do is start looking for them."

"Right." Michael spun around as he debated on where to begin. The rock seemed very loose along the side of the mountain they had fallen from, promising an impossible climb to whoever may try. He growled in frustration and tightened his hands.

"Don't punch the wall again. It's not going to do you any good if you break your hand."

The blonde glanced at Koushiro but said nothing. Instead he shouldered his bag and Takeru's then began walking around the base of the mountain in search of a section that would be easier to climb.

* * *

The mountain shook as more lava gushed out from the top. Mimi and Catherine rushed towards the edge in hopes of finding a steady slope to climb down upon, but could find none.

"There's no way down. We're going to be killed," the French girl cried out in fear.

Mimi looked at the girl's tear streaked face then back towards the rushing lava, before settling her gaze at last on the cliff. Making up her mind she grabbed the blonde's arm and redirected each other back to the cliff. "This is going to hurt."

"What?" Catherine glanced from the cliff and back to the young woman who seemed to be trying to gather all the courage she could. "Wait…. You don't mean… Are you insane?"

"Do you know of a better way?" The brunette snapped then sighed. "It looks fairly smooth from here on down. We should survive."

"But what if we break something?"

"Would you rather be pretty much melted by billion degrees of scorching hot lava?"

The ballerina laughed lightly. "It's not that hot…. But I don't think I want to find out either."

Mimi nodded. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." The two girls took a deep breath then jumped off the cliff. It seemed like that had been in suspended in mid-air for hours until they landed a few feet away on a slope, sliding down upon loose rock and soil as they went before rolling into a tumble. They screamed as sharp rocks cut into their clothing and skin, and finally just when it seemed as though the terrifying ride would never end, they crash-landed into two firm yet soft figures.

"Holy shit, Mimi!" Michael shouted as he stared down in shock at the Chosen Child lying sprawled out on his lap.

She lifted her head and wince at the sight of blood dripping down her face. She turned to Michael and hugged him tightly, relieved to see his face again. "Thank God you're alive! We have to get out of here. The mountain is actually a volcano and it erupted."

"What? That's news to me," Koushiro said as Catherine weakly gathered herself off his back. She ran a hand through her hair then froze.

"Wait. Where's Takeru?" The French girl's blue eyes widened with fear as they began to flood with tears once again.

Michael helped his girlfriend back to her feet and shook his head. "We don't know. We haven't seen him since the earthquake started…. But don't worry. We'll find him."

"But first, let's get out of here," the red head said urgently.

The four Chosen gathered their things and quickly bolted around the volcano on a quest for a shelter. They circled three times but were unable to find anything that would protect them from the scorching hot lava that threatened to destroy them.

"DAMN IT ALL!" Michael threw his fist into the mountain then bit back at scream at the horrible pain that soon followed.

Mimi wrapped her arms around him and cried softly as despair took over. "I don't think I've ever felt this helpless before. We are trapped and all we can do is wait for boiling hot lava to kill us all!"

Catherine leaned back against the side of the mountain and suddenly lost her balance as the rock gave way. She shrieked as she landed ungracefully on her butt. The others spun around, but just then, a hand grabbed the blonde's shoulder, causing her to scream again.

"Calm down, Catherine. It's just me," a familiar voice said from behind her.

She gasped and turned around. "Takeru?" Without warning she threw her arms around him and cried into his shirt. "You're alive! You're alive!"

He returned the embrace. "Yeah. It's okay now."

"But the volcano!"

"What volcano?" Takeru looked at three approaching friends who seemed just as happy to see him again.

"She's right. This mountain is actually a volcano," Koushiro explained.

"Crap. And here I thought the worst was over with that earthquake." The writer shoved a handful of hair from his face and released Catherine. "At least you guys came along or I'd probably still be trapped in this damn cave."

"Cave?" Michael refocused his attention on the large cavern then handed Takeru his bag. "But this is in the volcano."

"I must have fallen in a different part of it then," he replied as he nodded in thanks.

Koushiro furrowed his brow in thought. "Maybe this will lead us to safety."

"Are you crazy? Go through the volcano?" The American looked at the red head as though he had gone mad.

"It's our only choice!"

The four Chosen Children stared at each other for a moment before they decided that they had no other option. Together they picked up their stuff and began the hike through the cavernous volcano with only one hope. Away out.

* * *

The waves splashed gently against the shore as Miyako walked mournfully along the beach. She wrapped her arms around herself and silently cried. _I am so stupid. How could I think for a second that we were meant to be. Ken is too… perfect and I don't deserve anyone like him._

She closed her eyes and tried to shut out their happy moments together, but it was no use. She could still remember the first day he had kissed her. They had been caught in a rainstorm at the university and she had forgotten her umbrella. He offered to walk her to her dorm. Despite the cover of his umbrella, the two Chosen had still gotten wet from the downpour. Once they reached her door, Ken brushed a few lingering raindrops from her face then kissed her. She could still recall how soft and gentle yet breath-taking that first kiss had been, something that she would probably never forget. After that moment Miyako knew she had fallen madly in love with the indigo haired young man.

_What did he see in me? I'm just loud, obnoxious, and dumb Inoue Miyako. I'm not anything special, so did he really want me? I'm so confused. What would Hawkmon tell me?"_ The lavender haired teen shook her head as she realized that she couldn't figure out the answer. In fact, she could barely remember her digimon partner's voice, which made her feel very uneasy. Miyako sighed and dropped her gaze to the gritty sand as more tears fell from her sorrowful eyes. A shining light suddenly caught her attention from her right towards the ocean. She turned her head and gasped at the sight of a small stone drifting on top of a large wave.

Abruptly the salty water crashed down upon the depressed teenager, soaking her immensely. She swore loudly at the wave for drenching her then but froze as she became aware of the sensation of something foreign sliding down her top as salt water dripped from her face and long hair. She scanned her surroundings carefully to be certain that she was indeed alone then uncomfortably fished the item out. "Okay, what are you and why are you getting personal with me?"

The Chosen Child however gaped at the sight of a stone with what appeared to be two swords etched in the middle of it. She blinked in shock at the gray stone, completely bewildered by its presence.

"MIYAKO!"

She spun around and was surprised to find Ken, Wallace, and Jyou running in her direction. Her hand tightened around the stone as they quickly joined her.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" Ken wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "You worried the hell out of me. What were you thinking?"

"Ken…" The girl stood completely stunned unable to comprehend what to say in response.

"I'm just glad to see that you're alright. You are alright, aren't you?"

"Yeah." She hugged him back glad to feel safe again despite all the doubts still swimming in her head. "Other that having been drenched by a wave, I'm good."

"At least we're back together. Now lets get back to work on finding the Power Stones," Wallace said with a sigh of relief at finding their missing party member.

Miyako blinked then held up her hand. "I-I found one. A Power Stone."

Her boyfriend pulled away and inspected the gray stone in her hand. He then withdrew his from his pocket then examined hers. "It's very similar. The only difference are the two swords, but why swords?"

"Beats me," the American shrugged. "Mine is the same as my Digimental."

"And mine is just like my crest," Jyou added as he pulled his out of his pocket.

Wallace did a double take and frowned at the med student. "When did you find one?"

"When you two left me behind chasing after Miyako." Jyou grumbled.

"Oh. Hey, sorry about that, but you know Kenny was kinda frantic so I had to help." The blonde scratched the back of his head then turned his back towards the rapidly growing waves of the ocean as he focused on the three Chosen Children. "It's getting kind of violent out there. I wonder if the earthquakes had anything to do with it."

"Like a monster sized wave that could crush us upon impact?" Ken suggested as he grabbed Miyako's hand and began backing away. His face was very pale and he appeared even more nervous than before.

"Yeah."

"Um, then I would have to say yes…. Look."

Wallace spun around and gasped at the sight of the growing tsunami. "SHIT! We've got to get out of here!"

Jyou looked as well and yelled in warning. The four Chosen then raced away from the beach as fast as they could in hopes of being spared from the monstrous wave.

* * *

Hikari shivered as they walked further into the dark, muddy forest. She wrinkled her nose at the not so pleasant sensation of her wet skirt clinging to her legs as her shoulder length hair dripped down her face. She glanced at Daisuke and noted that he wore a similar expression of discomfort. She whispered softly, "I wonder how my brother and the others are doing."

"I was wondering the same thing. Hopefully they're not experiencing the same hell we are." He shook his head wildly, trying to dry his saturated locks a lot faster. "My shoes keep going 'squish, squish.' This really sucks."

"Mine too. I feel like a drowned rat."

"You look cuter than one," Daisuke said automatically with a snicker.

"What?" The teenaged girl stared at her companion as if unsure if she had heard him right.

He paused, realizing what he had said then innocently shrugged. "Dead anything isn't cute...I mean have you ever seen something that was dead, possibly drowned and said that it was cute? I think not."

Hikari studied him for a moment, still puzzled by his words. "I suppose so."

The spiky haired teen slipped his hands into his pockets nonchalantly then cringed as he quickly removed them. "I think the only thing that is not wet, is our backpacks."

"Yeah." She bit her lip for a second in hesitation. "Do you really think I'll get my memories back?"

Daisuke blinked then smiled at the girl as he stepped over a large tree root. "Of course. We'll find them then things will get back to normal and everything will be fine again."

"Are you sure?" Hikari looked at her gloved hands sadly. "I don't think I want to find my memories anymore…it's not worth putting other people's live in danger. I'm probably better off without them."

"It's too late to turn back now."

"I just feel like everything is all my fault…That we've been separated and have been going through these horrible near death experiences because of me. We don't even know if the others are still alive." Tears leaked from the teenaged girl's eyes and ran down her damp cheeks. "What if they were killed? What if I never see my big brother ever again?"

Daisuke turned on his heel and spun towards Hikari, grabbing her by the shoulders and looked at her sincerely yet firmly in the eyes. "Listen to me. None of this is your fault and everyone else is probably fine. We're all survivors no matter what. There is no need to blame yourself."

"But the woman in my dreams insists that I am the one at fault. That it's because of me that everything is happening. What if she's right?"

"A woman?" He looked at her in bewilderment. "Is this the same woman you mentioned dreaming of before?"

"I-I think so." Hikari dropped her head and refocused her gaze on the ground. "She seems very angry with me for some reason and insists that I know the answer, but I don't. There was something sad about her."

Daisuke didn't know what to say and instead gently released her then turned away and began walking again.

"She mentioned that there were other people too, but I don't know who she was talking about….I-I think I want to help her, but I don't know how."

"You'll find a way."

Hikari refocused on the teenaged boy and studied him considerately. Once again he seemed to have a sorrowful presence. His face was a bit downcast and his shoulders slightly hunched as they continued on their way. It was gravely different from the boy she saw in her memories, then again, that may not be correct either. Either way, she hated to see him such a state.

A sudden flash of a sad eyed six-year-old boy sitting alone on a swing entered her mind then quickly vanished. _Why did that pop in my head?_ She scowled for a moment in thought but could not decide on an answer.

"What's wrong? Water in your boots annoying you too?"

The brunette haired girl gasped and spun around to find Daisuke looking at her in concern. Her cheeks tinted in a light blush as she shook her head. "Just thinking."

The soccer player nodded in acceptance then chuckled. "You always did a lot of that."

Hikari's lips curled into a small smile. "If you say so…. I wish I had my memories back yet at the same time I'm not sure if I really want them if it means endangering others. I don't want to sacrifice anyone for my own means. It's just not right."

"Everyone agreed to help, and even though they aren't with us right now, they're probably doing whatever they can. They all care about you."

She bit her lip and nervously clasped her hands together. "And you?"

Daisuke's mouth fell open for a moment before he recovered. "Well, yeah. I mean we've been through thick and thin together…. I could never dream of deserting you, Hikari."

The teenaged girl turned to look at her companion, but lost her footing and fell down a muddy slope. Daisuke moved to grab her hand, but his wet shoes lost traction on the muddy ground and soon he too followed.

* * *

Author's Notes: Yet another chapter done, and I am still partially in the dark as to certain events. There are a few things I know of but others are still a mystery. And least the groups are back together again… though I didn't expect it to turn out that way.

And at least the story is still flowing. I usually have issues with bad Writers Block, but this story oddly has not been inflicted with it. Hopefully it stays that way.

Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter and thank you for reviewing.


	16. Lost in a Nightmare

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 16  
Lost in a Nightmare  
By  
Sailor Janus

The gentle rush of a stream was the only sound audible in the large dimly lit cave. Iori and Rosa sat a few feet away from the other unconscious Chosen Children and snacked on some crackers.

The Mexican girl sighed as she finished her last bite and turned her attention to the stream. She still felt hot and sweaty and decided that perhaps the water would cool her down. She glanced at Iori to discover he was now focused on his D-Terminal, more than likely reading or composing a message to the others.

Rosa got up, walked quietly to the stream, and sat on her knees. She frowned at her dirty reflection then quickly scooped up some water and splashed it on her face. She sighed in relief at the cooling sensation, happy to be able to cool off at last.

"What are you doing?"

The teenaged girl gasped and spun around to find Iori looking at her in question. She blushed lightly and shrugged. "I just wanted to get cleaned up and the water is really nice…. You might want to do the same as well."

The Kendo expert raised an eyebrow then turned to the older Chosen Children. He scowled for a moment then retrieved an empty water bottle from his bag and approached the stream.

"Are you sure it's safe to drink?"

"There would be no reason for it not to be given that this is the Digital World and very few if any humans have been here therefore it can't be polluted." He dunked the bottle under the water for a moment and withdrew it.

Rosa stared at him a bit hurt as he headed towards his bag and pulled out several scrapes of cloth. She glanced down at her hands then balled them into fists. "You don't have to be so rude to me."

"What are you talking about?"

"You heard me." She pursed her lips wanting to scream at him, but for some reason couldn't. It was as if that ability no longer existed in her and all she could do was be moderately angry rather than express how she truly felt. Instead she sighed and shook her head. "Forget it. It doesn't matter." Her muttering turned to Spanish as she rose to her feet and headed to the opposite side of the cave.

Iori looked at her briefly then shook his head and returned to his task. He walked up to the fallen Chosen leader, poured some water on the cloth, and pressed it to Taichi's face. He stared down at the young man as if lost in a thought. Glancing over his shoulder, he noted Rosa still appeared to be fuming and shook his head. _I'm not rude I'm just… I don't know. It doesn't matter. She's the one with the problem not me…have I been rude? _He scowled at his thoughts unaware of the look the girl was giving him.

"Oh, so now you are just going to stare at me? You are such a-a JERK!" Rosa's brown eyes glowed intensely with her increasing fury. She stomped her foot and heavily exhaled. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you. A rock has more personality."

"So I'm a rock? Are you sure you're not talking about yourself?"

The foreign teenager threw her hands up and fell to her knees, a dejected look on her face. She panted heavily as though she had run a marathon and lost all energy in the process. "Uh, I don't feel so good." Rosa moaned pressing a hand to her face. Her eyes widened in terror and she suddenly vomited in a corner of the cave.

"Are-are you okay?" The Kendo expert looked at her in concern as he forgot about their fight.

"I-I don't know," she replied weakly. She sniffed the air and frowned. "Do you smell that? It's not-"

"Smoke. Yeah, it is." Iori turned to the three older Chosen and gritted his teeth. "We have to wake them up and get out of here." He threw the rest of the contents of his bottle on Taichi's face. "Taichi! Wake up!"

The brunette haired leader flinched then groaned in pain. "Leave me alone."

"There's smoke and we have to wake up Yamato and Sora. Get up, Taichi," the teenaged boy ordered as he shook the young man's shoulder firmly.

"Smoke?" The young man's brown eyes slowly opened then he suddenly gasped. "Shit! The fire! Iori…. You're here….wait. Where are we?"

"No time to explain." Iori raced towards the stream, scooped up more water and splashed it on the unconscious couple as Taichi shook Yamato's shoulder. The cave rapidly began to fill with smoke, setting them into a full out panic.

"YAMATO!" Taichi yelled in his best friend's ear, causing the blonde to jolt awake.

"Damn it, Taichi. Don't do that," Yamato growled as he grabbed his friend by the collar of his shirt and glowered at him. He paused a moment and turned his attention to the room. " Smoke. We have to get out of here." He quickly let go of the other man's shirt and turned to find Iori trying to awaken Sora.

"I can't get her to wake up. She must have fallen harder than you two," Iori said through a clenched jaw.

"There's no time for that." He shoved the teenager out of the way and scooped up the young woman in his arms. Iori spun around to get his bag and instead found a rather blanched looking Rosa holding it out to him. He silently accepted it with a nod as the others gathered their things.

Taichi adjusted the straps on his bag and threw Sora's on his back. "I know I've said this many times, especially since we arrived here but, RUN!"

The others didn't give a reason to argue as they bolted after their leader down the echoing corridors of the large cave.

* * *

"I don't like this place," Catherine whispered nervously as she and the other Chosen Children walked down the musty, dim caverns inside the volcano.

"We don't have much other choice," Michael said grimly as he glanced up at the stalagmites and stalactites spread around the cave like some odd decoration.

The ground abruptly trembled causing Mimi to shriek and grab the American's arm. "I don't like this either."

"Hopefully we'll find a way out that does not deal with lava," Takeru muttered darkly.

"Either way there needs to be a way out of here otherwise…" Koushiro paused unable to voice the fear that was on everyone's minds at that moment.

"We know," Michael sighed. "We know."

Takeru lifted his arm to look at his wrist, but realized that he no longer had his watch. "It might be getting dark soon."

"Is that a bad thing?" The French girl glanced at the other people in the party.

"It is if we want light," The red head replied.

"We better pick up our pace," Michael suggested. No one argued and began walking as quickly as they could. Suddenly the cavern shook again, resulting in the Chosen Children crashing into each other and the walls as several stalactites crashed to the ground, barely missing them in the process.

"It's gotten worse," Mimi cried out as she scrambled to her feet. "We're not going to be cooked, we're gonna be shish-ka-bobbed to death!"

The others stood up the best they could as well with the ground moderately shaking under their feet. Michael grabbed his fallen bag and yelled, "Let's get the hell out of here!"

Together the five Chosen raced through the winding corridors of the volcano as it continued to gyrate. The deadly hail of stalactites increased with each jolt.

Takeru tripped over his feet during one particularly violent quake and was stabbed in the arm by a broken chunk of stalactite. He cried out in pain and clutched the wound as he continued running.

"Takeru!" Catherine shouted in concern as she slowed her pace.

"Don't worry about me and keep going." He hissed in agony.

"But-"

"GO!"

The French girl bit her lip but obliged to his request, cursing her lack of courage with each step of the way. Tears leaked from her crystal blue as she sped past the others as well, running blindly in the heat of her own inner pain.

"Catherine!" Mimi called out at the sight of the obviously upset teenager. She spun around to the young writer and glared. "What did you say to her?"

"Shut up, Mimi. I got hit by a damn stalactite and don't feel up to talking," Takeru growled through gritted teeth.

The pigtailed young woman shook her head in disgust. "You still didn't need to bite her head off."

"I DIDN'T BITE HER HEAD OFF!"

"YOU'RE BITING MINE OFF NOW!"

Koushiro sprinted between his two yelling friends and cleared his throat. "Um, I don't think now is the time to be fighting. We have more important things to do such as getting out of here alive."

"He has a point," Michael piped up as he dodged around a group of stalagmites.

Everyone stopped however at the sight of a sobbing Catherine standing practically frozen a few feet away.

"What's wrong, Catherine?" Mimi looked at the girl in concern.

The blonde sniffled as she wiped her eyes. "Dead end."

The Chosen Children's blood ran cold at those two words. They glanced ahead and found what appeared to be a river of molten lava moving lazily through the rest of the cavern.

"Shit." Michael cursed. He paused when a glittering object in the lava caught his attention and walked past Catherine towards the deadly river.

"Michael what are you doing?" Mimi cried out as she stared at her boyfriend in disbelief and fear.

"There's something floating in there." He gestured towards the lava and bent down to get a better look.

"Are you crazy? Get back here before you get yourself killed!"

The American however paid no attention to the request and instead moved closer. He frowned at the odd gray stone. "It's just floating on top….It's not even being melted."

"But you will be if you fall in there. Leave it alone, Michael," Takeru said tensely.

Michael pursed his lips and grabbed two thin broken fragments of stalactites. Carefully he held them in his hands and using them like overly large chopsticks, pulled the stone out. "Got it!" He quickly set it on the ground to cool and made a face at the strange symbol etched on its surface. "A tree?"

Mimi raced towards him and appeared ready to slug him. "You idiot! What if you fell in? You would have been killed!" She stopped suddenly and gaped at the stone. "A Power Stone?"

"Is that what this is?"

The brunette withdrew hers from her bag and held it out to him. "Mine has my Crest's symbol on it. Purity."

"I see." The blonde tapped the stone, but was surprised to find it was cool to the touch. "Weird."

"Can we get out of here before we have worse problems?" Koushiro shouted as the flow of lava began to increase.

The couple spun around and gasped then bolted back to the others as they raced back through the way they had previous come with only one hope, a way out.

* * *

Wallace could feel his heart thundering in his chest as he raced along side his other group members through the thick sand in desperation to escape from the giant wave. "I'd make a crack about surfing, but now is definitely not the time."

"No kidding," Ken gasped as they scaled up a steep hill.

"I am really getting tired of all of this running," Jyou sighed as he tried to maintain his footing after falling a few times.

"You're in the Digital World. Get used to it." Miyako gritted her teeth as she sunk a bit with each step.

Her boyfriend nodded in agreement. "And right now, it seems to be against us."

"I wonder what we did to piss it off?" The American remarked as they slipped backwards a few feet on the loose sand.

Ken winced but said nothing, instead refocused on climbing through the large sand dune. Miyako glanced at him but bit her tongue as if she knew he was trying not to brood over his past once again.

"This is ridiculous. It's like trying to climb up an escalator that is going down." The med student grumbled as he coughed up a mouthful of sand.

"That's hard but not impossible. You just have to be quick," Wallace shrugged earning a bewildered look from elder of the group.

"You actually _did_ that?" The bespectacled young man stared at the blonde, completely unaware that he was drifting backwards until too late. Jyou tumbled backwards down the dune and landed hard on the more firm sand as a moderately large wave splashed down upon him.

"Jyou!" Wallace leapt down, sliding through the thick sand as though he were surfing it, but without a board attached to his feet. Once he was through the thicker parts, he jumped down the rest of the way, landing a few inches from Jyou who was drifting out to sea.

"WALLACE!" Ken and Miyako quickly followed after to aid their friends.

Another large wave washed over the Chosen Children as the American struggled to grab the med student but was pushed away by the force of the water. "Damn it!" Wallace choked on the salt water when another wave sent his world into a spiral. He crashed hard into Ken and Miyako then scrambled back to his feet.

"Wallace!" Ken yanked the boy backwards and pulled him away. "The waves are getting worse and we are already a half mile or so from the sea as it is. We have to save ourselves!"

"But Jyou-"

The lavender haired girl grabbed his other arm. "We'll have to look for him later. Hopefully he's not…. Come on!" The couple dragged the blonde to the right, back towards the sparse forest for cover.

"It's not fair!" Wallace threw his fist into the first tree they came to as Ken and Miyako released him. "The Digital World shouldn't be like this. It's gone insane or something."

"There is something very wrong here. I just don't know what or why." The former Digimon Kaiser crossed his arms in thought and bowed his head. "I hope Jyou is okay."

"He wasn't moving. We have to go back!"

"No!" Miyako grabbed the blonde's arm and gave him an intense look. "We can't lose anymore people. Sacrificing yourself isn't going to do any good."

A shower of salt water rained down upon the Chosen soaking them even more, but none of the three remaining teens wished to comment on it and instead stood in silence in the protection of the small forest.

The distraught girl collapsed to the grass and pulled her knees to her chest as she shivered. "What if he died? What would we tell his family? I know digimon can't die, but those rules don't apply to us."

Ken remained silent as Wallace leaned back against the tree he had punched a moment earlier.

"Are all of us going to be taken down one by one? First there was the earthquake where you two were nearly crushed and now this? Were we all lead here to die? Were Hikari's missing memories a trap? Are the others even still alive or are we the only ones left?" Frightened tears leaked from Miyako's brown eyes. "I can honestly say I am scared to death of what we are going to face next. Without our digimon, we don't have a chance."

"Don't admit defeat until we are truly defeated." Ken looked gently at his girlfriend as he spoke. "As for the others, they are strong and know how to survive."

"So did Jyou and look at what happened to him!"

"We don't know if he's even dead."

"HE WAS DRAGGED OUT TO SEA! HE MIGHT AS WELL BE!"

"But there is still a chance!" Ken retaliated passionately then shook his head and rubbed his face. "The point is he's not dead until we see a corpse. Alright?"

Miyako and Wallace stared at him then slowly nodded their heads.

"It's going to get dark. We better find a shelter." The dark haired teen started off deeper into the forest as the other two Chosen followed closely behind.

* * *

Hikari's screams seemed to echo in Daisuke's head as they slid down the muddy slope at break neck speeds. He could barely make out her figure in the mass of dirty water covering them and practically everything in sight, but at least being able to hear her voice calmed him enough in knowing he had not lost her yet.

Suddenly the ride ended, vaulting the teens across deep puddles with two loud splashes.

"I never want to do that again." Hikari cough, trying to clear her lungs of the muddy water she had swallowed during their short, terrifying trip. Her shoulder length hair hung in her pale face in clumps as what was once a gray skirt clung to her mud covered legs.

Daisuke absentmindedly ran a hand in his hair then made a face in disgust at the slimy sensation. "And here I thought just being soaked to the bone was bad."

"Agreed." The teenaged girl wrinkled her nose in displeasure. "I feel so disgusting."

"Well, Mimi once said mud was good for your skin. Then again, she's Mimi."

"But this was way too much." Hikari spun around and wiped her dirty face, smearing the mud rather than removing it instead, then looked at her companion. "I can't even tell what color your hair is or your clothing…." She trailed off a bit her lip, her brown eyes widen at the sight of him drenched and dirty then quickly refocused her gaze on the ground. "And… we're still soaked."

Daisuke nodded. "We'll dry eventually. That is as long as we stop falling in water." He adjusted the straps on his backpack and chuckled. "Well, our bags are no longer drier than us either."

"We look like mud people."

"But good looking mud people."

The girl spun around and stared at him in surprise. She paused a moment and tilted her head. "Are you saying I'm good looking?"

"I-" The soccer star's jaw dropped and he mentally kicked himself once again. He took a deep breath and shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, how good could a mud person look? And-and well, you are pretty, Hikari...you always have been."

Hikari opened her mouth to reply but something took a hold of her attention out in the distance. Her eyes filled with fear once again as she became statue still.

Daisuke noticed the change immediately. "What's wrong?"

"We're not safe here."

He turned around and swore at the sight of the massive volcano spewing hot molten lava as it oozed from its mouth. "Shit. This is not happening…. Damn this place!" He quickly grabbed Hikari's hand and took off in a sprint, leading her away from the impending danger as fast as he could.

"Where are we going?" The girl panted as she stumbled a bit over a tree root but managed to keep up with her companion.

"Anywhere but here."

They ran for several minutes but everywhere they turned, the volcano was still a threat to their very survival. Hikari abruptly fell to her knees clutching her head and she cried out in agony.

"Hikari! What's wrong?" Daisuke kneeled in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Talk to me."

"I… don't know. My head is killing me. I don't know where this pain came from," she replied weakly then screamed when she moved her head slightly.

"We can't stop for long." The boy scanned for the volcano and cursed as the river of lava was growing nearer. They were a good mile off, but the molten rock was quickly gaining on them. "Damn it." He pulled the tormented girl over his shoulder and raced into the dark forest as fast as he could with the extra weight.

Off to the left Daisuke could see a tall looming mountain. Without a second thought he headed towards it deciding that it may be their only chance to survive the deadly lava. "Hikari, I think we'll be okay. Hikari?" He lifted the girl slightly to find her eyes closed and her face oddly unreadable. The teenaged boy sighed and continued on his way.

* * *

The scratching of the a piece of chalk set to the blackboard sounded like a light muffle as Hikari stared at the smooth surface of her desk. Unconsciously she tugged at the hem of her green skirt as she glanced towards a spiky haired boy who seemed to have been trying to catch her attention from afar. Suddenly something brushed against her arm. She looked up to find a pair of dark eyes gazing down at her.

"Ignore him," the young man snorted.

Hikari opened her mouth to say something but he captured it in a forceful kiss. The back of her head hit the desk of the person seated behind her.

"What are you doing? Stop it, Hikari!" A girl with lavender hair frowned in disapproval at the girl.

The brunette however gave no reply, her mind was too busy reeling from the kiss and she realized that she probably couldn't respond if she wanted to.

"Pathetic." Someone whispered from the back row as other students turned away

in either disgust or anger.

_Wait…. What am I doing? Something's wrong… I… _As if her senses had awakened from a long sleep she shoved hard against the young man and found herself sitting on a large desk still clothed in the odd green sailor style school uniform. In the back of her mind she could recall a blue one with white lining, yet this one seemed vaguely familiar as well.

She touched her head then blinked in confusion at finding herself alone. Hikari slid off the desk and walked briskly out of the classroom to find herself in a massive corridor with a large stone fountain in the center. She headed slowly towards it as if she were drawn to the impressive piece of art that resembled stacks of bowls with odd symbols etched on them. The sounds of her footsteps echoing off the walls came to a sudden halt at the ghastly sight of red water pooling around her white sneakers. Her breath caught as she looked from her feet and back to the fountain then screamed. Lying in the middle of the blood soaked fountain was the same spiky haired boy. A simple pair of goggles was wrapped tightly around his neck as blood drizzled down, staining the crisp white shirt he wore.

A cruel chuckle from the shadows made her blood run as cold as ice. She spun around but an unknown force pinned her arms to her sides and pressed a cool steel object against her throat.

"You should learn to keep your nose out of people's business, girl," the masculine voice growled threateningly in her ear.

"But I-"

"You weren't supposed to snoop around. You've been so much trouble and should pay."

Hikari struggled relentlessly against her attacker. "You killed everything. You took away everything I had."

"I'm not the one you should be crying to. After all, you never listened to my tears."

"Finally the realization of his voice hit her like a freight train. "Nitoni…"

"Took you long enough." He scoffed slicing into her throat slightly, spreading droplets of blood on the girl's clothing.

"I did too listen! You were the one that was lying and cheating and full out using me." Tears fell from Hikari's eyes as she began to feel light-headed. "I tried, but you are the one that should be apologizing to me."

Nitoni sliced into the girl's throat even deeper. "Liar. You never cared about anything."

"I DID TOO!"

_"STOP THIS AT ONCE!" _

A bright light flooded throughout the room as a soft yet serene voice rang in the air. Hikari spun around and was bewildered to find Nitoni was nowhere to be seen. She turned towards the fountain and gasped at the sight of a mysterious person dressed in a white cloak with their face completely hidden moving towards her. "Who…are you?"

The white clad figure laughed lightly_. "Be safe and soon you'll find out."_

Just as Hikari moved closer to person, the floor under her feet fell away and she was once again falling into nothingness.

* * *

The teenaged girl's eyes flew open as she gave out a blood curdling scream that would make a banshee proud.

Daisuke jumped in surprise, nearly dropping Hikari and falling to the ground himself. He secured his grip then set her gently on the ground. "Are you okay?"

Hikari looked at him sheepishly and slowly nodded. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scream in your ear…"

"It's okay. Jun has done worse damage," he chuckled.

"Are we safe?"

The boy grimaced as he pointed towards the rushing lava. "I'm sorry. I tried but….I'm sorry."

"Um. We have bigger problems…. And this time, I think it's my fault."

"What?" He turned around and gasped at the sight of a huge cloud of snow charging straight at them from the mountain. "Crap. Um, so Hikari, would you rather be cooked or frozen?"

"We have a better chance with the avalanche than the volcano."

"I'd have to agree with you there."

The two teens exchanged glances. Hikari grabbed Daisuke's hand and together they raced for the mountain.

* * *

Author's Notes: So sorry this took a little longer than normal. I have a lot of stuff going on this month with the holidays and all.

On regards to this chapter…. well, Hikari's dream sequence was just plain weird, but it works I guess. I was stuck with what to do with her and then that pops in my head. Well I hope you all enjoyed my newest chapter in what is going to be probably my longest fanfiction series ever.


	17. New Surprises

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 17  
New Surprises  
By  
Sailor Janus

The smoke grew thicker as the four Chosen Children raced furiously through the large cave. Flames licked at the walls, mocking their quarry with a promise of pain despite their desperation to flee from the danger.

"How can anything burn in here? There's no wood!" Rosa exclaimed as she trailed behind the group.

Yamato glanced over his shoulder and bit back a curse at the sight of the fire snaking towards them from the sides of the cavern. He clutched onto the still unconscious Sora and sped up. "Something strange is going on here."

"We could have told you that a long time ago." Taichi gritted his teeth as he lead his comrades away from the threat. "I don't know what happened to this place but it seems to have one major grudge against us."

"Something had to have happened here, the question is what." The green eyed teenaged boy said softly as he quickened his pace.

"I'd rather get out of here alive and consider that question later, Iori." The blonde haired musician gestured towards his girlfriend with a concerned look in his eyes.

"I second that." The brunette leader leapt over a rock, landing with a splash in the shallow stream. He paused a moment as if struck by an idea. "Everyone, in the water. The fire can't get to us in here."

Yamato considered the order for a moment before joining his best friend. "So there really is a brain under all that hair."

"Shut up."

Iori and Rosa quickly jumped in the water as well, but didn't bother to comment on their elders' renewed bickering. Everyone continued jogging through the cave in the stream hoping to find a way out.

"I'm getting tired… I think my adrenaline rush is about dead," the teenaged girl said lagging behind everyone else.

"You can't stop. Not until we're safe," Iori argued.

"But I don't think I can go on much longer. My legs are starting to give out on me." Rosa stumbled and fell to her knees in the cold water. Her brown eyes drooped a bit as she stared down at her submerged hands, bits of her hair clung to her face while she heavily panted.

"Rosa." The Kendo expert narrowed his brow at her then clenched his jaw as he sprint back to her. He looked at her a moment then knelt down. "Jump on my back. I'll carry you."

"Iori…" Her eyes widened in bewilderment at the offer, but she obliged, wrapping her arms gently around his neck as she leaned into his back.

"Easy." He stood up slowly as he lifted her legs around his hips and paused a moment to adjust to the added weight before starting off after the others.

The girl bit her lip a moment as if nervous then hesitantly said, "Thank you, Iori."

He paused a moment and nodded. "It wouldn't be right to leave you behind. I don't want to leave anyone behind," he added softly.

She frowned at his reply but said nothing as they rejoined the group.

The smoke increased to a blinding haze that seemed to literally take their breath away as the boys continued on the race for their lives. When escape seemed futile, a welcoming sensation brushed against their sweaty faces.

"It's a breeze. It has to have come from outside of the cave! Come on," Taichi with renewed energy bolted through the stream, a large grin on his soot covered face.

"Wait up, Taichi!" Yamato yelled as he and Iori hurried after their overly enthusiastic leader.

"I CAN SEE TREES! WE'RE HOME FREE!"

The other two boys came to a stop once they had exited the simmering hot cave, grateful to be greeted by a cool breeze that playfully ruffled their hair in the quickly dimming sky. "We're back in the forest," Iori murmured.

"And the fire is still following us!" Rosa shrieked as she pointed behind them. The three young men spun around and stared in horror at the sight of the flames slowly stalking them.

"Shit, the forest is going to go up like kindling." The musician cursed loudly, shifting Sora in his arms.

"I'm really beginning to hate the Digital World," Taichi grumbled.

Frantically they began the race once again winding around trees, bushes, and any other form of plant life, saddened by the fate it was about to meet. Soon the flames wove a deadly circle around the Chosen Children, trapping them in ring of fire. A scream from above made the group jump in shock as a bolt of lightning fell from the sky, striking a few feet from where Yamato stood, knocking the young man off his feet.

"YAMATO!" Taichi shouted when suddenly a large object crashed down on top of him, forcing the young man to his back. He looked up in a daze, groaning in pain as several cool droplets landed on his face. His eyes narrowed in confusion at the sight of dark brown eyes staring at him in shock. He blinked as if registering the person's face and intense gaze. "T-T-Tani?"

The young woman gasped in surprise. "Taichi? Yagami Taichi? Is that you?"

"T-T-Tani…. Y-You…Where….H-How….." Taichi continued to stutter completely flabbergasted by the slim, brunette young woman clad in a pair of shorts, an off the shoulder v-neck short sleeved shirt over a scoop necked tank top, a short pair of gloves, and sneakers all in shades of gray. What severely caught his attention however was the clear tag hanging from her slender neck. "You-You're…. A Chosen?"

"Seems that way. Also seems you two know each other," Yamato said quietly as he approached his best friend. "Care to explain, Taichi?"

"Huh?" The Chosen leader glanced up and blinked at the blonde as though he had never seen him before. "Oh! You mean her. She-she is…. well..."

"Asukai Tani," the newcomer replied pleasantly with a bow of her head.

Iori looked up in satisfaction as the rain poured down harder, extinguishing the building inferno. "At least the fire won't be such an issue anymore."

"I'm fine with that," Rosa smiled as Iori put her down.

Yamato glanced down at Taichi and Tani then smirked slightly at the fact that she still had not moved from her place on his stomach. "So this must be the girl that you were gaga over."

"WHAT!" Taichi quickly scrambled up, completely forgetting that the young woman had been draped over him, promptly dumping her on the muddy ground.

"Taichi!" She glowered up at him then stood up and dusted herself off turning towards the blonde haired young man. "What makes you say that?"

"Just an assumption. Name's Ishida Yamato by the way."

Tani smiled at the blonde in greeting. "It's nice to meet you." She paused then gestured towards the red haired young woman in his arms. "Is she okay?"

Yamato blinked then glanced down. "Oh, you mean Sora. I-I think so. She's been out for a while but…" He drew a breath and looked from the others and back to Tani and the red head. "She's my girlfriend, Takenouchi Sora."

Abruptly at the mentioning of her name, the young woman's eyes fluttered open as she shifted in the arms of the musician. "Where-where am I?" She made a face at the brunette haired girl with thick shoulder length hair a few shades darker than Taichi's. "Who are you?"

"I'm Asukai Tani," the brown haired girl replied taking a step back awkwardly.

"You're a Chosen Child?" Sora slid out of her boyfriend's arms and glanced from her tag to the other girl's noting that they were exactly the same.

"I…."

"I'm Rosa Sanchez or Sanchez Rosa as you would say," the Mexican girl piped in then pointed to the silent teenaged boy. "And he's Hida Iori."

The boy nodded. "How did you get here?"

Yamato glanced down and made a face at a glimmering stone lying in the middle of the scorched earth left over from the bolt of lightning. He slowly bent down and picked up the object then shoved it in his pocket. The rain poured down upon them harder as they studied the new girl with interest and puzzlement. "And how can you be a Chosen?"

Tani clenched her hands into fists and looked helplessly at Taichi who was still staring at her. "I-I…" She shook her head furiously and spun on her heel to run, but found herself held back by Yamato. "Let go of me!"

"I believe you have some explaining to do." The blonde tightened his grip on her wrist. "Now is as good a time as any for a long talk."

The young woman looked helplessly at Taichi who made no move to help her then bowed her head in dejection. "There is a cave a little ways from here. It's small but it'll at least get us out of this rain."

"Good, then you can talk as you lead us there."

Tani sighed and pushed a mass of thick dark hair from her face then started off. "I'll talk, but I'll guarantee that you won't like it one bit. Especially you, Taichi."

* * *

The five Chosen sped through the large winding cave to escape from the approaching lava. They took a sharp turn and paused at the sight of glowing iridescent stone covering the entire small cavern.

"This…this wasn't here before," Mimi gasped as she approached the walls. She brushed her hand against the cool, smooth surface and stepped back in surprise at its texture. "It's like pearl or something."

"It's very pretty," Catherine whispered. "I've never seen anything like it."

Takeru frowned at the walls and shook his head. "Neither have I and I've been to the Digital World many times. Everything in fact is different."

"Do you suppose that the world could have been rewritten?" Koushiro inquired to no one in particular. "It is made of data after all."

"At this point, I believe anything is possible," Michael said quietly. He narrowed his blue eyes at the walls and shook his head. "We must have turned down a different cavern. Hopefully this one will lead us out of danger."

"And maybe we can find a way back to the others or home," his girlfriend chimed as they headed deeper into the cavern.

Takeru turned to follow them, but something on the far glimmering wall caught his eye. He softly walked towards it and peered down at the small stone embedded in the stone with the symbol of Hope etched on its surface. Carefully the teen pried it away from the wall and pocketed the item.

"Takeru? Are you coming?" Mimi's voice echoed from afar.

"Yeah. I'll be right there." Quickly he trotted after his friends, a smile now present on his face knowing that he had finally found his Power Stone.

"Takeru?" Catherine glanced up at him in wonder as he rejoined the group. The boy shrugged and continued past her. The French girl sighed miserably over being ignored by the one she loved and came to a stop, not wanting to continue the search any further. _He's never going to forgive me. He hates me. _Her blue eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around herself and lowered her head softly crying. Suddenly a shot of silver light flashed out of the corner of her watery eyes. Catherine spun around and stared in bewilderment at a tiny glowing stone on the wall.

Curious, she walked towards it and brushed her tears away at the sight of a crescent moon partly covered by a fluffy cloud. Her mouth fell open at the small plain yet beautiful object that seemed to beckon her to take it. Without a single thought against it, Catherine plucked the gray stone from the wall and decided to go find the others.

* * *

"Where's Catherine?" The brunette haired young woman glared angrily at Takeru.

"Do I look like I'm her keeper?" He met her icy gaze with one of his own.

"You have been rude to her ever since we got here with a few minor exceptions. What happened to the Takeru we used to know?"

The blonde teen however turned away. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"And it's NONE of your damn business so leave me the hell alone!"

Mimi narrowed her brown eyes coolly at the writer and took a threatening step towards him. "If anything happens to her it will eat you up inside so badly you'll wish you could die."

"Mimi, That's enough," Michael warned grabbing her by the shoulder. "We better look for Catherine. There is no telling what could happen to her in here."

The young woman stepped back without another word and stomped off in the opposite direction. Her boyfriend shook his head at Takeru, muttered something under his breath, and trailed after the irate brunette.

Takeru turned to Koushiro who was rummaging in his bag with little interest over the previous argument. "What the hell is her problem?"

The red head pulled out a flashlight and flicked it on, shining its beam in the infuriated teen's face. "You apparently." He zipped up his bag and pulled it on then he too walked away taking the path the others had chosen leaving Takeru by himself.

"Damn it," the teenaged Chosen cursed then stormed off in the opposite direction of the others.

* * *

Catherine wandered further down the cavern unaware that the path she had taken was not the same as her comrades. She clasped her hands together nervously and scanned her surroundings. The light cast off the iridescent walls was only a tiny shimmer in the growing darkness. "Hello?"

The French girl paused in fear then pulled off her bag in search of a flashlight. A tiny smile appeared on her lips at the sight of an old gray one that she usually kept for emergencies. Quickly she turned it on, shining a bright light in the room that flickered briefly before dying completely.

_Oh no. I forgot to change the batteries and I don't think I have any spares in my bag. _Nevertheless she frantically began searching her bag but could find none. Catherine whimpered in displeasure then sealed her backpack. She pulled it back over her shoulders and cautiously made her way down the cool corridor of the cave. It was now highly evident that she had been separated from the others, the mere acknowledgement of that thought made her even more afraid. She wasn't used to going on adventures. She wasn't cut out for them. For most of her life, she had been sheltered in some sort of building at all times. 'Ladies don't run around like some sort of wild animals' her mother had told her rather often. So instead of playing outside with other children, she was inside practicing the piano or ballet.

Tears flooded her eyes once again as she recalled how many times she tried to beg her mother to allow her to play outside with the other children, but the woman always refused. It was even worse when Catherine had met Floramon. She had to keep the digimon a secret from her overprotective mother but even that secret had been revealed. The socialite loathed the plant digimon so much that she wanted it destroyed. This left Catherine only one option, to take Floramon to her grandfather's, he was the only one that seemed even the least bit understanding to the fact that no matter what, she was still a child and a child had to learn and grow. So the only time she actually got to interact with her partner was at her grandfather's. However, those times were rare because her mother feared he was going to be a bad influence on her. The final straw of course was Takeru. Her mother had her eyes set on the son of a diplomat for her only daughter, not a blonde haired Japanese boy who was going to school to be writer. Once she had gotten wind of Takeru, Catherine was banded from the computer and could never speak to him again or give him a simple reason why.

"TAKERU!" The girl fell to her knees on the hard stone floor and sobbed even harder from fear and heartache.

"What's wrong with you?" A voice questioned from the shadows.

Catherine spun around then immediately froze as she screamed.

* * *

The waves splashed gently against the shore as the sun set in the distance. Curious blue-green eyes studied a still male figure sprawled out on the sand, his bluish hair clinging to the sides of his face and against his glasses.

The young woman brushed a lock of curly red hair from her eyes and moved closer. She bit her lip and a light blush covered her pale cheeks as the strange young man stirred slightly. A gasp escaped her throat as he lifted his head and looked straight at her.

"Who-who are you?" He coughed up some salt water and gathered himself to a sitting position. Cautiously he glanced around but found no trace of his friends. "Where are the others?"

"The others?"

Jyou looked up and adjusted his glasses, trying to get a better look at his new companion. She was pretty with curly red hair pulled back into two pigtails wearing a gray sundress that was tied at the shoulders in two large bows. On her hands was a small pair of gloves. She also wore thin knee high socks and dress shoes. What was most striking however was the clear tag, which hung from her neck. "You-you're a Chosen Child?"

The girl took a step back and gripped the skirt of her dress nervously. "Ye-yes. Who are you?"

"Kido Jyou. I'm also a Chosen Child." He stood up and dusted off the sand from his pants. "Who are you?"

"Asukai Ami." She tugged at one of her curls and scanned the area carefully. "Did you say that there are others here?"

"Yes." The med student replied cleaning his glasses off. "Have you seen them?"

Ami bit her lip and turned on her heel, dropping her head. "I haven't seen anyone in three years."

"Three years?" Jyou stammered in shock at the girl. "Wait, you've been here for THREE YEARS?"

"Yes!" Without warning she burst into a fit of tears. "And I want to go home!" She sobbed louder, and soon began wailing in sheer angst. "I HATE IT HERE!"

"Three years…" The young man could hardly believe his ears. Three years of being trapped in the Digital World? How could anyone even survive? It was completely impossible. "Don't cry…um, how did you get here?"

Ami sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "I-I don't want to tell you. It would only make things worse…"

"How could things get any worse? We're stuck here."

"Just believe me," she snapped then sighed as she started off in the opposite direction. "Come on. It's getting dark."

Jyou silently nodded as he grabbed his bag and followed Ami away from the beach.

* * *

A warm campfire crackled sharply in front of the three weather-beaten Chosen as they stared at its dancing flames. The trio was tired and emotional drained as they glumly ate their ramen. More than anything they wanted to awake in their warm beds only to find out that it had only been a bad dream, but they knew they weren't that lucky.

Miyako put her empty cup down and shook her head. "It's been over an hour."

"Miya," Ken said softly from her side.

She looked at him then climbed to her feet. "We should be looking for him. He could be injured if not dead."

"We aren't going to be of any help wandering around in the dark. We have to wait until morning."

"I don't want to wait!" The lavender haired girl spun on her heel and began stalking off.

Ken quickly jumped to his feet and grabbed her arm. "Listen to me. We have to stay put. Remember what happened last time we went charging out in the dead of night? Daisuke and Takeru fell in a hole and could have broken their necks, Hikari ran into some sort of poisonous plant that gave her a bad rash for almost a month, and you and I got lost so badly that we ended up going for circles for hours and couldn't find Iori until sun up."

Miyako sighed and yanked her arm out of the boy's grasp before sinking down to the ground. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on top of them. "I remember. I just wish none of this ever happened."

Wallace peered at the couple then stood up and joined them. "Well, until we find a genie that can grant wishes or a time machine, I think we're kind of stuck here."

"Jyou will be okay. He's stronger than we give him credit for," the former Digimon Kaiser said reassuringly as he knelt down next to his girlfriend.

"I'd just feel better if we had found him. No one has died here yet, and I don't want that change," Miyako whispered, her brown eyes wide and fearful.

"We'll find him," the American shrugged. "Just not now. I do have to agree with Kenny though. The best thing we can do is set up camp and wait until morning."

"Alright. I guess rest may improve our ability some. Let's set things up." The lone female rose to her feet as the two boys trailed after her to prepare for a long night.

* * *

Hikari tightened her grip on Daisuke's hand as they sprinted towards the avalanche while the burning lava slowly trailed them. She was afraid of the consequences and possible danger of running straight for the crashing wave of snow, but knew they had no other choice.

He glanced at the brunette and clenched his hand around hers firmly, as if determined not to lose her. "Don't let go, Hikari." The boy's voice cracked slightly losing some conviction, allowing his fear to shine through. "I promise I won't either."

"I won't." Tears flooded her eyes as they nearer the avalanche. She couldn't help but be afraid. It was very likely that this could be their last moment ever. She would never know what happened to her brother or the others. It would be the end.

Suddenly a white wave crashed down up the two teens, enveloping them under a large blanket of snow. The impact was so strong that it threatened to separate the Chosen from each other, tossing them backwards a few feet as another large mass of snow was thrown on top of them.

"HIKARI!"

The girl gasped loudly, swallowing a mouthful of snow as they went down. Unfortunately, so much of her body felt numb due to shock from the abrupt temperature change that she could no longer tell if she was still holding Daisuke's hand or not. All she knew was that she was very extremely cold and surrounded by white. _I can't die. Not like this. It's not fair. _Hikari closed her eyes as warm tears splashed down her cheeks and a blurry vision entered her mind.

"Hey Hikari, watch this!" The spiky haired teen grinned from the top of the snow-covered hill. His standard goggles were resting on a dark blue wool ski cap and a pair of special goggles made for snowboarding, were attached to his face. The teenaged boy dropped the board to the ground and took off down the slope.

"He has really gotten the hang of it," a blonde teenaged boy said, impressed by their friend's ability and graceful yet playful movements.

"Yeah." She whispered softly. The smile however disappeared at the sight of a tree that judging by the direction of the sun, was unseen by their snowboarding friend. Without a second thought, the girl raced out towards the slope, in an attempt to prevent what could have the potential to be a tragic accident. "DAISUKE!"

The teen turned towards her just in time to see the tree and rather than hit it head on, pivoted as much as he could, but unfortunately he wasn't fast enough and crashed into it at an angle instead.

Hikari blinked as the memory faded. She was beginning to feel rather lightheaded. What was she supposed to do right after getting buried under snow? She mentally smacked herself as the answer came to her as clear as day; make an air pocket in three seconds before the snow gets compacted.

_I really am going to die. I'm never going to see my brother again or my parents or… _Her mind felt dull as she lay in the snow. There was no telling how many pounds of snow were on top of her. She closed her eyes and softly cried, wishing for death to hurry up and claim her already.

Suddenly she jerked in shock as a warm sensation slid over her hand, as if something or someone was rubbing it. The caress soon became a pat followed by a shake. Was someone calling her name? She couldn't tell. She felt too cloudy to comprehend anything. The sensation soon drifted towards her back and last resting at her waist, tightening as it came to a stop.

Hikari cried out in pain as a force lifted her up, freeing her from the icy coffin.

"Hikari? Are you okay? Say something!" Daisuke looked at her wildly with concerned brown eyes. Bits of ice clung to his hair, giving it an odd frosted appearance as he sat cradling her to his chest.

The frozen teenaged girl opened her eyes and smiled slightly in relief at seeing a friendly face. She trembled violently as she tucked her head under his chin, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to warm back up. A broken whimper escaped her throat between deep gasping breaths of air.

Her companion winced at the girl in his arms and gently smoothed the flakes of snow from her drenched locks. "It's okay," he murmured. "It's going to be okay."

Hikari did not know how he found her or where exactly they were. All she knew was that she was no longer going to suffocate in a tomb of snow and for that she was glad. "How did… you…."

"Somehow we ended up tossed near the surface and I managed to dig us out." He gave the girl a wryly grin. "I told you I wouldn't let go."

Hikari laughed lightly but it quickly became a sob as she began crying once again.

Daisuke hugged her tighter, rocking slightly as he stroked her back. He didn't know what to say instead he tried comforting her the best he could. He knew she was afraid, but so was he. No matter what however, he was determined to protect her at all costs. As Hikari's sobbing softened he glanced up and blinked in bewilderment. "What the hell?"

Hikari too looked up and let out a startled gasp. "What is going on here? What is this place?"

"I-I don't know."

The snow that had previously blanketed everything within a wide perimeter had mysteriously disappeared revealing a vast mountain with many caverns. Below was a deep valley filled with dead trees. Where the lava once had been was nothing more than giant clumps of rock dusted with ash.

The two teens teen hesitantly rose to their feet, still in complete awe over what should have been a life-threatening place, now seemed oddly serene.

Daisuke scratched his head in confusion at the scenery. "This is weird," he muttered as Hikari gripped onto his other arm. "It's as if there was never any snow here to begin with!"

"It's gotten really warm out here. Too warm." She refocused her gaze on her friend and found that any traces of snow had melted away.

The boy sniffed the air and made a face. He causally turned around then swore. The strange dead valley had somehow been ignited and now burned with brilliant orange flames that danced and swayed. The fire moved its way up the mountain and somehow continued burning just as actively as it did in the valley. "Shit! Now everything is on fire!"

"What do we do now?"

Daisuke grabbed Hikari's hand tightly. "What we seem to do best around here. RUN!" Frantically they took off once again with only one hope, to stay alive.

* * *

Author's Notes: I'm so sorry that this is rather later than usual. The holidays really weighed a lot on me and I had a lot more on my plate than I expected. But it all turned out for the best. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of writing.

I think the only section I had an especially hard time with was Daisuke and Hikari. That all actually popped into my head yesterday. And then of course is Tani and Ami. There will be more explanations as to who these two are and what they are hiding…. Yes they are created characters with their own distinct personalities and history, which will be revealed at a rather slow pace since it seems all the characters have some sort of secret concerning their pasts. When they chose to let it out… I have no clue. But they will eventually….I think.

I hope you enjoyed my newest chapter and don't forget to review.


	18. Concealed Secrets

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 18  
Concealed Secrets  
By  
Sailor Janus

The rain pelted harder down upon the drenched Chosen Children as they hiked through the dim forest in search of the secluded cave to rest in.

"I don't know when everything had gone so wrong," Tani murmured, her head tilted towards the ground as icy rainwater dripped from the top of her head and ran down the back of her neck. She shivered slightly. "I just know it's my fault. I'm supposed to take care of them. I'm the eldest for crying out loud!"

Rosa glanced curiously at Iori as they trailed behind the group. "Is she talking to us or herself?"

"Shh," he hushed the Mexican girl not wanting to interrupt the mysterious brunette.

"What happened?" Sora looked at Tani thoughtfully.

"I screwed up." The twenty-one year old girl sighed as she led them towards the cave. "I thought everything was okay."

"Why are you talking so cryptically?" The blonde haired musician narrowed his cool blue eyes inquisitively.

"Yamato!" Sora scowled at her boyfriend and sharply elbowed him in the arm.

Tani gave no immediate reaction to the question however. "My sisters."

"Y-You have sisters?" Taichi sputtered peeling his eyes from his sneakers. "Y-You never told me!"

"It wasn't important."

"But you met my sister."

Yamato blinked. "Wait… she's met Hikari?"

Tani abruptly stopped walking and whipped her head to face the others, spraying water everywhere with her soaked locks. "I also met some boy with spiky hair…. One of Hikari's friends."

"You introduced her to Daisuke?" The blonde glared at his best friend. "What? Are we not good enough to meet your girlfriend?"

Taichi lowered his head. "He was at the apartment when I brought her over. Hikari was tutoring him."

"But why the hell did you keep her a secret?"

"Because I asked him to!" Tani's brown eyes flooded with tears as they stood out in the pouring rain. "I didn't want anyone to find out, especially my sisters." She turned around and stomped away, leaving behind a bunch of flabbergasted Chosen Children.

"Nice job, you idiots," Rosa snorted then she too sprinted off.

"Damn it!" The Chosen leader took off his backpack and threw it for all he was worth, sending it careening into an innocent tree. "DAMN IT!" He whirled around and narrowed his eyes at the blonde, his hands now clenched into fists. "Do you see what you have done? This is all your fault!" Taichi swung out and punched his best friend in the face, effectively nailing his cheekbone.

Yamato growled ignoring the pain then shoved the infuriated brunette backwards, pushing him to the ground. He tore his backpack off then immediately pounced on the young man and threw his fist splitting his target's lip. "Then you shouldn't keep secrets!"

Taichi kneed the blonde in the gut and wrestled him to the ground. Just as he was about to land another blow, something stung his cheek. He glanced up and saw Sora looking vehemently down at them, hot tears flowing down her cheeks. "Sora," he blinked as if returning to his senses.

Without warning, she slapped him again. "KNOCK IT OFF!" She glowered down at the two boys and shook her head in disgust.

"Sora…" Her boyfriend began staring up at her completely stunned but was unable to finish his sentence.

"Why do you two always act like such _children_? It never changes. No matter how much you age, you still try to beat each others' faces in!" She sniffled loudly, with her arms stiffly at her sides and stomped her foot on the ground in frustration. "What has happened to us? Why is it all that we do is fight? I'm so sick of it!"

"Sora I-" Yamato tried once again, but she cut him off.

"You're all jerks!" Still sobbing she ran away from them.

"Sora! Wait! Come back!" Infuriated with the whole situation, Yamato threw Taichi off him, and took off in search of the red head.

"I think you all have some serious thinking to do if you want to repair your friendships," Iori said softly making the Chosen leader jump in surprise. As usual, the teenager had the ability to blend in and watch from the sidelines, speaking only when he felt it was necessary.

"Iori…" Taichi touched his split lip and winced.

The Kendo expert shook his head and sighed. "It's just something to consider." Then he too departed.

Taichi stared at where Iori had once stood then angrily rose to his feet shouting at the top of his lungs, "I HATE YOU ALL TOO! In fact…. I DON'T NEED ANY OF YOU!" He snatched up his bag in a huff and stormed away.

* * *

_I'm sorry, Taichi._ Tani wrapped her arms around herself as she walked sadly through the pouring rain. It was nearly dark out, and the storm did not make matters any easier. At least it was fitting for her mood as she continued to cry.

"What happened between you two?"

The young woman froze in shock at hearing someone's voice then spun around to find a curious Mexican girl with a sincere look on her face. Tani smiled weakly and bowed her head. "Things went wrong….but they had nothing to do with Taichi."

Rosa however scoffed at that answer. "I highly doubt that. He's _muy macho_; too headstrong if you ask me."

"That may be so, but it still wasn't his fault."

"That would be a first," Sora said bitterly as she joined the group. She pulled her hair out of the pigtails that Rosa had previously put it in when she was overly hot and shook out her drenched locks. "I've known him since we were kids and he always manages to put at least one foot in his mouth."

Tani however shrugged. "He just has a bad stubborn streak, but…. it's hard to explain. He can be really sweet."

"Oh my….you still like him…. I should have never said that," the red head gaped covering her mouth in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry!"

A faint pink color tinted Tani's pale skin as she toyed with a strand of hair. "What makes you say that?"

"You're blushing for one and are fidgeting," Rosa pointed out.

"And you defended him and called him sweet," Sora giggled. "I also think he still likes you since I have never seen him turn into such a stuttering fool around a girl before."

Tani chewed on her lower lip. "Maybe. But things can change."

"Did you mean to fall on him?" Rosa inquired when suddenly she slipped on the muddy ground and fell on her butt. "OW!"

The two older girls turned and looked down at the teenager in concern. "Are you okay, Rosa?" Sora held out a hand to help the Mexican girl back to her feet as Tani stared down as if uneasy about something.

"I think I fell on a rock! It hurt!" The short girl groped the ground as she sat on her knees and pulled up a dirty gray stone that oddly glimmered for a second. Rosa quickly cleared away the mud and squealed. "I think it's a Power Stone! Look! It's got some sort of symbol that looks kind of like a ….triangle? I don't get it."

Suddenly a strong wind picked up, throwing the three girls to the muddy ground as the rain became heavier, threatening to pound them into the ground as they screamed in pain and fear.

* * *

Catherine wanted to hide from the shadowy figure, but knew that it was a moot idea since they had already seen her. The best thing she could do was to try and determine whether or not they were a friend or a foe. "I-I'm sorry. You-you startled me… and I think I'm lost."

"Just don't scream again," the voice softly said as they walked closer into the dim lighting revealing a young woman who looked to be in her late teens or earlier twenties with choppy hair the color of India ink with a tiny tint of blue that fell in chunks around her face and above her green eyes. She was clothed in a sleeveless v-neck shirt layered over a long sleeved shirt with a thick stripe running down from her shoulders to her cuffs. She also wore loose fitting pants that flowed past the heel of her sneakers in a sporty style and strangely to Catherine, around her neck was a clear tag. The girl smiled in greeting. "Hi, I'm Asukai Akina."

The French girl stepped closer, realizing that more than likely she was safe. "Hello. My name is Catherine Beaumont. I'm from France," she said in return with a smile of her own.

"I didn't think you were Japanese. _Bonjour, Catherine._"

"Do you speak French too?" The blonde gasped in surprise.

"Only a little bit but not enough to have an actual conversation," Akina shrugged. "So did my deranged sister drag you here too?"

Catherine frowned as she studied the other girl's unreadable expression. "Deranged sister?"

"Yeah. She may act nice to your face, but don't let that fool you. She only thinks of one person and that is herself. If it wasn't for her, none of this would have probably ever have happened." The Japanese girl turned on her heel and clasped her hands together behind her back as she began to pace. "Then again, maybe this is my fault after all. She always was the jealous type…. Always wanting attention. Mom and Dad tried so hard to divide the attention evenly, but she never saw it that way. She always went against the rules. Damn it. Why didn't we see this coming?"

"I'm sorry, but I still don't quite understand."

Akina froze as if realizing that she had said her thoughts out loud. She grimaced and ran a hand through her tresses. "It's a long story which I don't feel like telling at the moment. Sorry." The Japanese girl paused a moment in thought. "Didn't you say you were lost?"

"Yes. I was separated from the others. They are Chosen Children like us too."

"How-how did you know I was a Chosen Child?" The young woman's eyes widened skeptically, almost if she were afraid.

"The tag around your neck," Catherine pointed out. "It's the same as the other Chosen Children."

Akina frowned, her eyes flashed slightly as she clasped her hands together. "Other Chosen? You mean there's more than just you here?"

_"Oui._ Four others to be exact not including us." Her eyes saddened at the thought of a particular blonde haired Japanese teen that she believed hated her. "I got separated from them."

"So there is just the five of you?"

"No. There are more but they are elsewhere." The blonde thought for a moment as she calculated the number of people that she had heard from the others in her head. "Five in one and four in another with two missing elsewhere. One of which was the reason we came here to begin with. She had somehow lost her memories and everyone was going to try to find them….Well, I didn't know of that, I was brought here by my computer while checking my email. It was quite strange."

"And were any of the others stuck here for let's say three years prior?"

Catherine blinked in surprise at the other girl. "No, the only ones that didn't come with the other Japanese Chosen were a Mexican girl and an American boy, but they arrived shortly before or after the others did. Why do you ask?"

Akina hesitated a moment then stuffed her hands in the pockets of her pants. "No reason. Just curious." She walked towards the farthest wall in the cavern and slumped down to the ground. Pulling her knees to her chest she began to sob.

"What's wrong?" The French girl twisted her fingers nervously as she approached her seemingly upset companion. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No. I-I just think I've been here too long and it's kind of driving me crazy." She wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled. "I wonder if everyone has forgotten about me? Probably. I was never anything memorable. Just boring nothing-special me."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Catherine said softly as she comfortingly touched the other girl's shoulder.

Akina looked up and shook her head weakly. "You don't need to be here. You probably have a very bright future ahead of you. Not like me the twenty-three, oh wait _twenty_-year-old nothing that I am." She climbed to her feet and folded her arms over her chest. "I can't believe she… ugh." Without a single glance at the French girl, she retreated to another corner to sulk.

* * *

"The nerve of him! Since when did Takeru become such a…a…asshole?" Mimi threw her hands in the air as she talked in disgust about the boy who she had known since their first adventures in the Digital World when he was only eight.

Michael shook his head as they trailed down the narrow corridors of the cave. "People change. Who knows, there may be a reason why he's acting the way he is."

"Ha! That's a good one."

"He still could be right," Koushiro said quietly, flicking his flashlight around the cave as they walked. "Takeru is usually pretty mellow unless he's upset about something. Then it's a completely different story."

"Yeah, but the jerk is the only one with a working D-Terminal!" The young woman sighed heavily and rubbed her head. "I think this is all giving me a headache and all I want to do right now is soak in a hot bath. Can't even smoke a cigarette here, damn it!"

"Mimi, you're whining," the blonde American said with a slight tone of irritation.

"Oh, bite me! I'm tired and hungry. My feet are killing me. We lost Catherine and Takeru and are probably going to be cooked alive in this stupid volcano."

The red head inwardly groaned, reflecting that Mimi's behavior was now very reminiscent of the first time they were in the Digital World. Fortunately her attitude had improved the longer they were there, even as their situation became increasingly dire. At the moment however, she seemed to be regressing back to the selfishness, something they could all do without. He instead focused on the structure of the cave. It wasn't something he'd normally study, but it was better than listening to the couple bickering again.

_I don't remember this volcano in the Digital World. Could the world have been reformatted? If so then by who and why? In a way I have to wonder if we really are in the Digital World or if somehow we were transported elsewhere. _Koushiro frowned wishing his laptop was still functioning, but no matter how many times he tried, he could not get the machine to boot up properly. _If only I could ask Gennai._ He dragged his beam of light from one wall to the next and suddenly stopped as something sparked in the distance. The computer expert narrow his eyes skeptically then headed in its direction.

Koushiro flicked his flashlight around the wall, hoping to locate whatever the object was, but couldn't find it. He looked up then cursed under his breath, discovering that Mimi and Michael were nowhere to be seen. "Good one, Koushiro. Now you're lost too." He thudded his head against the wall, accidentally dropping the flashlight in the process. Grumbling to himself, he bent down to pick it up then stopped as his dark eyes fell on a small stone embedded in the floor. "A Power Stone?"

The red head dropped to his hands and knees, carefully pulling at the stone until it finally came loose. A small glint of light filled his gloved hand and quickly diminished in a blink of an eye. He curiously flipped over the stone and smiled at the sight of the symbol of Knowledge etched on the back. "Another piece of the puzzle."

Koushiro pocketed the item then turned to leave when another flash of light caught his attention. He spun around and made a face at the small cavern that he could have sworn was not there a minute ago. After a moment of debate, he headed inside.

* * *

Catherine dug through her bag and pulled out two packages of crackers. She turned towards Akina and smiled kindly at her. "Would you like something to eat? I have plenty."

The young woman glanced at the blonde for a moment then silently accepted the offer. She tore open the package and looked away as she began to eat. After a moment she looked back towards her companion and smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Catherine sat against the opposite wall as she too ate. She paused a moment, furrowing her brow as a thought struck her. "If you've been here so long, how have you been able to survive?"

Akina considered the question for a moment. "There are some berry bushes that grow outside and there's a stream not too far from here. Other than that, I don't really know. I should have died of insanity or something a long time ago from being isolated for so long, but I didn't."

"Maybe if the others ever find me, you can come with us. I'm sure they won't mind."

"I'll think about it."

The two girls finished eating in silence, but it wasn't long after that they heard movement outside of their cavern. Akina bolted to her feet, her eyes wide with fear as she retreated to a shadowy corner. Catherine stared at her and turned back towards the entrance.

"It's okay. It's probably one of the others looking for me," the French girl said reassuringly.

Just then a shock of red hair appeared around the corner. Two dark eyes blinked and stared in awe at the two girls.

Akina gazed back, gaping dumbfounded at the young man as she slowly stood up. She took a step back nervously then brought one hand to her mouth. "Shiro?"

* * *

Jyou sank down onto a rock across from the strange red haired girl. He stared at her for a moment, then began rummaging in his bag that they found a few feet along the beach before they had reached her cave. It was very dim and pretty much empty other than her own gray backpack and a sleeping bag bunched up in the corner. "This is uh, a nice place you've got here."

Without warning, Ami burst into tears once again. "You're just saying that," she sniffled, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's horrible in here. I just wish something would come and eat me just so I won't have to deal with this anymore! BUT ALL THE DIGIMON ARE GONE!"

The med student found himself at a loss for words. Instead he continued digging in his bag and pulled out what appeared to be a bar of some sort of food. "Uh, nutrition bar?"

Blue-green eyes narrowed coolly. "You're just trying to be nice. Besides, you probably shouldn't waste your food rations on me." She stood up and headed over to her bag, withdrawing a handkerchief then blew her nose.

"That's not true. I-I sort of understand how you feel. I came here to help a friend regain her memories, but then everything went wrong." Jyou dropped his hands to his sides and shook his head. At that moment he missed Gomamon. The talkative water digimon would know how to cheer the girl up. Sadly it had been so long that he had seen his partner that he could barely remember what the digital monster looked like. The only thing that really stood out in his mind was the tuft of bright reddish-orange hair. "So, what kind of digimon do you have?"

Ami stopped crying and scrunched her nose as she looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"You're a Chosen Child, right? That means you more than likely have a digimon partner."

She stared at him a moment then titled her face down to her lap. "An Elecmon. He was like my best friend and always knew how to cheer me up. Even if it was just a stupid knock-knock joke."

"Gomamon liked those types of jokes too. Then again, he did have a better of sense of humor than I did. Especially when I was kid."

"Sounds like they'd probably get along well then." The red head smiled lightly then rose to her feet and moved towards her sleeping bag. She blushed slightly and turned back to Jyou. "I'm kind of tired, but you're free to stay as long as you'd like. If you want to spend the night in here, that's fine too, just stay on the opposite side of the cave please."

"That'll be fine. Thank you, Ami." He nodded at her, returning the smile.

The young woman slid under the covers and curled up. "Good night, Jyou."

* * *

Thin strings of sunlight danced through the branches of the trees as Miyako tiresomely yawned. She glanced towards her boyfriend who was carefully packing up his stuff as she stretched. "I could really go for a nice hot cup of coffee right about now."

"Even Shoe Brew?" Ken teased using the name they had dubbed their University's less than palatable coffee.

The lavender haired girl made a disgusted face and suppressed the urge to gag in response. "Ugh, even I'm not that desperate. Besides I meant a _good_ cup of coffee. Not something that tasted like melted shoe leather."

Wallace raised an eyebrow at them then snickered. "I think I'd take that over the shit they serve at my part-time job. It'd probably make toxic waste taste good in comparison." He shook his head and zipped up his backpack. "Man, this reminds of when Daisuke and I found our crests."

The couple immediately froze then spun around to face the American. "Wait, did you say that you two _found_ your crests?" Miyako gaped in shock as her boyfriend merely stared.

"Yeah," the blonde shrugged pulling his bag over his shoulders. "Didn't he tell you guys?"

"When was this?" Ken's face remained emotionless even though it was evident that he was more than likely reeling at the fact that his best friend kept something as important as finding a crest from him.

Wallace scratched his head and grimaced. "Normally I'd have said a couple years ago, but since time seems to have gone back three years, it was when we were nineteen. I didn't even know he was there to begin with. We just kinda ran into each other."

"So there really is a Crest of Miracles."

"And a Crest of Fate…. but somehow I lost it. I don't even know how that's possible….but it's gone." The blonde sighed as he adjusted his bag. "Maybe I'll find it again whenever we get out of here."

Miyako glanced at her scowling boyfriend and gently put her hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong, Ken?"

"I'm just contemplating why Daisuke kept finding his crest a secret from us. I thought we were best friends," he replied, his voice tinged with a slight hurt tone.

"I know, but Daisuke is well Daisuke. Sometimes he just does things on the whim."

Ken narrowed his blue eyes towards his girlfriend. "Like not telling us about finding his crest? Do you call that a whim? That's not a whim or something that can just easily slip someone's mind, damn it. He intentionally didn't tell us!"

"Calm down-"

"I AM CALM!"

"NO, YOU AREN'T, YOU'RE YELLING!"

"SO ARE YOU!"

Wallace winced and backed away from the shouting couple. "Um, I uh, think I'll go over there. Just please don't kill each other." Quickly he retreated to a group of trees.

The former Digimon Kaiser turned around and drew a deep breath. He refocused his gaze to the dirt on the ground, slightly shaking his head. "If he can hide something like that from us, it doesn't mean that he didn't hide other things."

Miyako pursed her lips and gently touched his arm. "Well, if it makes you feel any better I'm Hikari's best friend, but I have a feeling that she has kept stuff from me too. You know that she doesn't say anything out of fear of upsetting others. No matter how much she may be hurting inside." She paused a moment, a sad smile spreading across her lips. "For some strange reason those two understood each other, and now I think I know why."

Ken glanced back at his girlfriend and sighed. "I just feel like we've been lied to. Daisuke, the one that seemed to be the most open…. I don't want him to make the same mistakes I did. We all really have screwed up. We've practically abandoned the Digital World and even each other."

"Hopefully, we can fix this. But right now, we have a med student to find."

"Right." Abruptly he pulled Miyako into his arms and hugged her tightly. "Thank you."

She returned the embrace and giggled. "Hey, you've put up with my stubbornness this long. If you didn't have me, who would you bicker with?"

"Myself I suppose," he laughed as they parted. "Let's go grab Wallace and find Jyou. There is no telling what trouble he might get into."

Miyako nodded and together they headed off in the direction the American Chosen Child had gone.

* * *

Daisuke's heart thudded heavily in his chest as he led Hikari through the flames. He gripped her hand tighter while they wove their way through burning trees, rock, and stone. There was one thing he was certain of and that was that this was definitely not natural. "You holding up okay, Hikari?"

"Yeah," she panted in an odd voice.

"What's wro-" The teenaged boy paused at the sight of pain etched on her pale features as she pressed a fist to her chest. It was evident that she was lying through her teeth about being all right. "You're not okay."

Hikari shook her head, narrowing her brown eyes at him as she released his hand. "Don't worry about me. We need to find place that is not on fire first or all will be lost." Urgently she took off running, giving Daisuke no choice but to follow her.

_Damn it, Hikari._ _You're doing it again. If you push yourself too much… _He gritted his teeth, clenching his hands into fists and bolted after the brunette. "HIKARI!" He lost sight of her for a moment through the building smoke and threatening flames. It wasn't until he had passed a particularly large boulder did he finally catch sight of the girl leaned against it as she violently coughed. "Hikari…"

The teenaged girl's eyes widen with horror as white, hot pain flooded her stomach and chest as though she were being stabbed by a dozen sharp knives at random intervals. She let out a gasp of agony and doubled over, holding her breath as she clutched her eyes shut. Hikari whimpered and cried out the only thing she could, "Daisuke…."

Daisuke looked on in concern and immediately raced to her side. "Hikari? What's wrong? What happened?" He touched her shoulder comfortingly and peered down at her. His tanned face now a bit on the pale side as fear began to envelope him. "Talk to me!"

"Pain. In my stomach and chest... I don't know what's wrong," she weakly replied as tears slid down her cheeks. Unable to stand the torment much longer, her knees gave out and she crumpled into a tiny ball.

The Chosen leader followed her to the ground and knelt next to her. He grabbed her free hand and squeezed it. "Breathe, Hikari. Take long deep breaths. It'll be okay." He winced at her expression of pure agony and tightened his grip on her hand. "I'm not going to leave you here. I promise." He ran his other hand through her hair in hopes of comforting her. He knew making jokes wouldn't help at a time like this, and the fact that he didn't know what was wrong with her had him even more worried. The fire which was snaking closer to them didn't help much either as she began coughing from the smoke again.

"It… hurts…so…much." She cried out again, this time more severely.

Daisuke cursed then removed her backpack from her shoulders, throwing it over his own. Then he reached under the tortured girl's already bent knees and carefully wrapped his other arm around her back as he scooped her up, cradling her against his chest. "Hang on. I'm getting you out of here."

Hikari however didn't reply, the pain was so intense that she couldn't focus on anything else. She slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face into his chest, holding on for dear life.

The teenaged boy gritted his teeth and began walking, trying his hardest not to jostle her too much. They were trapped in some strange place so how in the world was he supposed to find help? The first thing to do was find someplace that was not on fire. He sucked in a breath and found what appeared to be a cave out in the distance. Determination filled his dark eyes as he headed towards it as fast as he could. His only hope was that nothing dangerous was inside otherwise they would be screwed.

Finally the cave was only a few feet away as Daisuke released the breath that he was unaware of holding. He turned back then swore at the sight of extinguished flames that left behind nothing more than smoldered ash and smoke. "I'm glad I'm not one to think logically otherwise I might go insane here," he muttered to himself entering the small cavern.

The teenaged girl winced as she was eased gently to the ground and immediately curled up into a ball. Sweat and tears dripped down her face as she hugged her knees.

Daisuke stared at her for a moment then quickly threw off both backpacks and began frantically searching for anything that might help before panic could fully set in. _I have to keep a level head or she could… no! I'm not going to think like that damn it. Hikari is going to be all right. She just has to be._ He pulled out a bottle of water and raced to her side as he removed the cap. "Hikari..." The boy set the bottle down and carefully turned her upper body towards him. He lifted her head up slightly and brought the plastic bottle towards her lips. She flinched and tried to move away, but Daisuke wouldn't let her, holding her as firmly as possible by the shoulders without hurting her in the process. "Listen to me. You have to try to drink this. It might help."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Hikari struggled to curl back up on her side again as the pain worsened even more. "JUST LET ME DIE!"

The Chosen leader froze, completely stunned by the girl's words which triggered a memory that wished to surface, taking all of his will power to push it away. "You don't mean that, Hikari."

"Yes, I do," she whispered, looking away from the teenaged boy. "I don't have anything to live for."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is." Hikari clenched her eyes shut. "I'm nothing. Absolutely NOTHING!"

Daisuke's breath caught in his throat then he roughly pinned the self-loathing girl to the ground and grabbed her by the face, squeezing it slightly to force her mouth open. He took this advantage to pour a small amount of the cool bottled water in her mouth, forcing her to drink it. He stared into her watering eyes through a pained expression then abruptly tore away, slamming the bottle to the ground and rose to his feet with a furious shout.

Hikari sputtered, choking slightly and sat up. Fear and shock shone in her eyes as tears streamed down her face once again. She wrapped her arms around herself and backed away towards the wall of the cave.

Her companion lowered his head then hit it against the opposite wall, silently cursing himself. He had hurt her in trying to help her. Now she was probably never going to trust him again and there was no way to redeem himself. And because of it, Daisuke hated himself more than ever. "I'm sorry." Numbly he dropped to his knees and pressed his head against the cool stone. "I'm sorry, Hikari. I didn't want to hurt you, but you…. I'm sorry."

"I know." The teenaged girl dropped her gaze to her clenched fists, took a deep breath, and slowly relaxed them considering her words carefully. "What you did…. You were trying to help me. Not like Nitoni who…. who was trying to ….to kill me." She flinched at her words and the memory. "The water did help though. I feel less pain…. in my stomach and chest…. and can actually breathe…. better. I guess I must be dehydrated or something."

"We haven't really eaten anything either. Or had the chance to rest," Daisuke began slowly as he turned back to face the girl he feared hated him.

Hikari nodded in agreement. "I know my brother can get kind of testy when he hasn't eaten in awhile or is very tired…. Maybe you're the same way so…food?"

He blinked in amazement at her. _Did she just make an excuse for my thoughtlessness?_ The boy could barely believe his ears but silently nodded his reply.

"Good." She glanced meekly down at her hands then back up at Daisuke. "Um, I don't really trust my legs at the moment…. so could you please get me some more water? I'd do it myself but…. I don't really want to chance falling flat on my face or something."

"Sure." Awkwardly he pushed away from the wall and retreated to his bag. Pulling out a fresh bottle of water he stood still a moment as if too ashamed to approach Hikari. Something in the back of his head was nagging at him, until he realized what it was; the fight they had the day she moved from Odaiba. Sharply, he shoved the memory away before it could try to eat him alive and approached the girl, focusing on his feet rather than her face as he handed her the bottle. "I-I really _am_ sorry."

Hikari held the bottle in both hands, and smiled kindly at him. "It's okay. You-you've saved my life several times already…. It doesn't make sense that you would stop now."

"Besides, Taichi would murder me slowly by beating me to death with a soccer ball…. or turn me into one if I did intentionally hurt you," he shrugged with a less-than-enthusiastic look on his downcast face.

The girl giggled, breaking up the thick tension in the small cave. "That really does sound like my overprotective brother. And speaking of him, we still haven't eaten a thing and I'm starved."

Daisuke snapped his head in Hikari's direction to find that she was struggling between laughing and drinking. He raised his eyebrows at her and folded his arms over his chest. "So you really think that is funny? Gee, thanks. And here I've saved your butt how many times?"

"No! It-it's just the mental picture of it is. Not him beating you to death…" She snorted nearly choking on the water. "But the mere idea of it, even if it isn't you is funny. In fact I'd prefer if it was Nitoni as the soccer ball instead." She paused a moment smiling nastily at the thought, then shook her head. "No, it'd be wrong, and I'm terrible to think such a thing."

"I think we all wanted to at least hurt and maim him after hearing what he did to you." The teenaged boy sank down to the ground next to the guilt-ridden girl. "But I think that's kind of natural. He hurt you so you want to pay him back by doing the same even if you're not the one doing the damage."

Hikari lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep her tears at bay. "I don't want to remember him. I want to forget him. I want to trade those memories for the ones I had lost!" Her voice shook as she balled her quivering hands into fists. "He's haunting me in my dreams and it just won't go away. He won't go away. He keeps trying to hurt or kill me. I can't escape him."

Daisuke said nothing and instead wrapped his arms comfortingly around her. He never envisioned during all their days as Chosen Children that things would wind up as they were now. Not when he was eleven and most definitely not when he was sixteen. It was like some terrible nightmare that he couldn't wake up from no matter how hard he tried.

After a moment the girl lifted her head and wiped her tears away. She sniffled slightly and gave him a meek smile. "I'm okay now. Thank you."

He nodded as she slid out of his arms. He drew a breath and stood up. "Um, I could make some ramen if you want. I think I have an old school notebook in my bag we can burn to make a fire. The classes sucked anyway and there seems to be rocks around here so if you want to grab some, I can start a fire and heat up the water."

"Okay." Hikari rose to her feet and headed towards the back of the cave where there was a cluster of rocks in a pile. She rubbed her arms as a chill ran up her spine then reached out to grab a few, but stopped as her brown eyes fell upon a large shard of ice. "Ice?" She frowned a moment then moved her hand towards it. Suddenly it became encompassed with a bright white light. Hikari gave out a startled gasp, tearing her hand away in fright.

"What is it? Are you okay, Hikari?" Daisuke leapt over the backpacks as he rushed towards her, his eyes darting around in search for a possible threat then froze at the sight of the glowing light.

The girl however stared in awe as the ice melted to reveal a small stone. She moved her hand cautiously towards it and the light faded. Carefully she picked up the stone and gaped in bewilderment at the strange yet familiar symbol marked on its surface. Her breath caught in her throat as she showed it to her companion. "It-it's the same symbol that was sketched on the bag you gave me. What does it mean?"

"I-" Daisuke began, unsure of how to explain things especially since he didn't know what was going on himself considering he had a stone with the symbol of Miracles etched on its surface in his pocket. He studied the symbol of Light for a moment then took Hikari's free hand and pulled her to her feet. "I'll explain things later. But first we need to eat. There is no telling what's going to happen tomorrow.

Hikari slowly nodded in agreement. Together they gathered some rocks and prepared their dinner while in the back of their minds they questioned what really was going on and where exactly they were.

* * *

Author's Notes: So much for having an outline. Everything for this chapter went completely out the window. _SJ crumples up yet another unused outline and tosses it in the garbage._ This also marks my second longest chapter. I think the weirdest thing about this story is I'm practically writing it backwards. Bits and pieces of the characters' pasts come to me as I write to explain why things are the way they are. It's so strange. I may later on after I'm done with this particular piece, write certain events that had happened in the past in a sort of chronicle. Some of which are really amusing while others, can be heart-wrenching. Still haven't decided yet.

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed the newest chapter. More is yet to come. (Expect this story to be roughly around thirty something chapters.) And thank you for the reviews.


	19. Storms of Despair

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 19  
Storms of Despair  
By  
Sailor Janus

"What's going on?" Sora screamed, shielding her face with her arm as the heavy winds and rain assaulted their weather battered bodies, trying to pin the three girls to the saturated soil.

"I don't know, but I don't like it!" Dread flooded Tani's dark eyes as the wind whipped violently through her shoulder length hair. "We should find the others."

"I can barely see anything," Rosa cried out, her voice tinged with fear.

_I'm not going to panic. I'm not going to panic. I'm not going to panic. I have not gotten through three years of this crap to have everything end like this. _Tani curled her hands into fists as tears ran down her dirt stained face. "I'M NOT LETTING YOU DO THIS! DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU CAN TAKE MY CREST. YOU CAN TAKE MY DIGIMON BUT NO ONE MESSES WITH ME OR TAICHI AND HIS FRIENDS!"

"Is she _loco_? Who is she talking to?" The Mexican girl glanced blankly to Sora who stared at the new girl with a dropped jaw. Abruptly Tani grabbed both of their hands, yanking them to their feet and took off at a run through the storm.

"Where are we going? We're practically blinded," Sora said, breaking out of her stupor.

"We need to find the others. If the person I think is behind this truly is, there is no telling what will happen next," Tani replied bitterly.

"Who? Wait, you mean _someone_ is causing all of this to happen?"

"Possibly. I'm not fully sure, but I do know that they are the reason why I've been stuck here for three years."

"THREE YEARS?" Sora and Rosa chorused in bewilderment.

The dark haired young woman whipped her head around as she came to a halt and stared at the two girls with an intense glow in her brown eyes. A flash of lightening streaked through the air, adding to the fury in her gaze. "I don't know why you have all been dragged into this, but as you may have already suspected the danger is real. I haven't been here for three years because I like it so much."

"But-" Rosa began but Tani had already turned back around and began running again. The short teenaged girl sighed and took off after her as Sora trailed close behind.

* * *

Taichi laid in the wet grass with his eyes closed as the rain poured down upon him. _Once again I have completely failed. Some leader I am. Who am I kidding. I'm no leader. A leader is… I don't know. Someone who leads. Daisuke deserved the goggles more than I ever did. Maybe I should just lie here and wait for death to claim me. That is if it would ever want a miserable corpse like myself. _He sighed heavily but refused to open his eyes. Suddenly his nose twitched slightly and he sneezed. "This is really pathetic."

The soaked leader sat up and smoothed back his drenched locks from his sad eyes. _I'm sorry, Hikari. So far I haven't been any good in finding you or your memories. I'm a horrible brother. I didn't do a very good job looking for you when you disappeared a few years ago. Hell, I couldn't even save you from the World of Darkness as you dubbed it many years back after Nana and Grand Dad died. You just kinda reappeared in the Digital World on your own. _Taichi frowned as he recalled finding his then thirteen-year-old sister completely soaked to the bone and freezing to the point where she had nearly caught pneumonia. It had taken them several hours to calm her down enough to where she could actually rest peacefully. "With my luck, you're probably trapped there and once again I'm helpless to save you."

His thoughts quickly moved towards the sorest subject of all, Tani. It was odd how she just disappeared. He had known her for about two years, dating on and off when out of the blue she practically dropped off the face of the Earth. Of course that didn't keep her off his mind, especially a year or two after his family had moved to Kyoto. That was when the pretty brunette had started haunting him, constantly. Sometimes it was simple dreams, other times he would be walking down the street and could swear that he saw her in passing only to discover that it wasn't her to begin with. And other times he could hear her voice in his head as clear as day. He didn't dare tell anyone about the hallucinations as a shrink would more than likely call them. They would probably try to convince him that he was overworked or worse, institutionalize him or something. Neither of which appealed to Chosen Child.

Instead, Taichi tried to drown the hallucinations out with alcohol; which had it's own problems, medications, or a large amount of caffeine. Unfortunately, neither aided him in his quest for relief for too long, leading to a bad case of depression induced hangovers or crashes depending on the substance of choice, threatening to push him over the edge. _But she's back. It's really her… At least I think it is. _Asukai Tani, the only other girl that seemed to hold his interest even more than his best friend Sora did. He could still remember the first time he met her.

They were both fifteen. He was at the park practicing for a big soccer game when he lost control of the ball he was bouncing from his knee to his head and sent it careening into a brunette teenaged girl who was innocently walking through the park as she was eating an ice cream cone, and promptly smashed the icy dessert in her face with his soccer ball. Taichi seriously thought she was going to pummel him after he heard her scream. He lost count of how many times he apologized, but Tani only laughed as she smoothed her waist length ice cream splattered tresses from her face and tried to convince him that she was okay. Taichi however wouldn't hear any of it and insisted on buying her another cone. Surprisingly enough, she agreed. After that, he didn't know it but he was hooked.

Tani was cute, funny, and a bit energetic plus she wasn't afraid to try anything once. She also had the odd ability of keeping him in line when things got too crazy. Sora would probably give her a medal for every time she kept him from blowing his top over little things. Of course, the girl wasn't perfect either. She was a bit oversensitive at times and when upset, had an annoying habit of storming off without actually explaining why she was angry to begin with. She also didn't voice her opinion too much, practically letting other walk all over her. Regardless, he still flipped over the pretty brunette. The only other oddness Taichi realized was that she had never talked about her home life. Whenever it was brought up she'd say very little then would change the subject in just a way that no one realized it or gave her tact much thought. At that moment, he felt like a really big heel. Taichi dropped his face in his hands and cursed himself. _Why didn't I see this earlier? Damn it, I really am dense! She probably didn't want to mention her family because something bad was going on and I was too stupid to notice. Once again I have to ponder why the hell I was chosen to be the leader. I am too much of an idiot to even be worthy of such a title._

Taichi snapped his head up as the rain began falling even harder, a new light of determination shining brightly in his once dim brown eyes. "I have to apologize. That's the only thing I can do. I have to find Tani before I screw things up even worse than they already are."

"I could have told you that."

The brunette whipped his head around and found Yamato leaning nonchalantly against a tree with his arms folded over his chest. Taichi sucked in a breath and stood up bowing his head towards the ground. "Sometimes I honestly don't think I deserve anything."

"You just need to learn to listen and shut up." The blonde pushed off from the tree and moved to join his friend. His thick golden locks clung to his angular jaw as he came to a pause in front of Taichi. Annoyed he shoved them away and narrowed his eyes at the sky.

"I don't suppose you have that problem with Sora…. And I can't believe that we are actually talking about this."

"And I never thought you'd actually find a girl," Yamato smirked. "Do you always stutter like that around her?"

Taichi threw his best friend a glare and grabbed his bag from the ground. "Shut up. She-she just caught me off guard. Damn did she get hot. I mean she was pretty to begin with but now she looks even better."

"Taichi…. you're drooling."

"And damn proud of it!" He flinched a brief moment as if realizing exactly what he had said then shrugged. "Weren't you looking for Sora?"

"Couldn't find her. Plus hearing you scream out that you hated all of us didn't exactly leave me with warm fuzzies." Yamato gave his friend an earnest look. "You may not be worn thin as you were before we got here, but that doesn't mean you have fully changed mentally."

"What do you mean?" Taichi blinked in confusion at the blonde who sighed heavily.

"I know you, Taichi and before I may have been too thick to actually approach the subject like we did with Daisuke…. which didn't go anywhere either, but you have problems."

"So do you!" The brunette glowered as he balled his hands into fists. Yamato only shook his head sadly.

"I know. I'll be the first to tell you that yes I do have problems and unfortunately, I have a feeling that I've dragged Sora into them as well." The musician clenched his hands tightly and looked down at them. "I don't know what's going to happen here, but I do know that if we can change things, we have to start now. Maybe that's the reason for this whole thing. We may not actually be able to fight whatever is out there, but we can at least try to survive and make the best of the situations. As Takeru, or the old Takeru would say…. we can't give up hope."

Taichi opened his mouth to reply but never got to say a word when a quiet voice jumped in.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but the storm is getting worse and I have a really bad feeling," Iori said with a tone of urgency in his voice.

"The girls! We have to find them!" Taichi exclaimed as the color washed from his face. His two comrades nodded in agreement and together the raced off in the search of their three missing team members.

* * *

Koushiro stared in disbelief at the dark haired girl kneeling next to Catherine. He opened his mouth to say something, but found that he could only utter one word. "Akina."

The French girl looked between the two and pressed her hand to her mouth. "Oh my. You two know each other?" She quickly stood up and backed towards the opposite end of the room to give them their space.

The red head recovered from his shock and took a step forward. "Akina…. What happened to you? I mean you stopped replying to my emails and were no longer on the messenger system…" He paused as his flashlight caught something around her neck. "You're a Chosen?"

Akina gripped the thin sleeves of her shirt and pursed her lips. "I…" She took several deep breaths and dropped her gaze to her dirty sneakers rocking back and forth slightly. "I…"

Koushiro put his hands up in surrender, professing that he wasn't a threat, even though that more than likely would not relieve the girl from the caged in feeling she was probably experiencing at the moment. "I'm not angry, I was just worried because well you're here and have a tag so that makes you a Chosen Child, and I really don't know what to say…. How did you get here and for how long?"

"I…. I haven't replied to your emails…." She softly began then snapped her head up as angry tears flooded her eyes. "BECAUSE I'VE BEEN STUCK HERE ALL THIS TIME!"

The computer expert's dark eyes widen from the confession. He stumbled backwards and leaned against the cool stone wall. "You-you mean you've been here for-"

"Three years. Three years alone in this horrible place, and it is all my own stupid fault. So, please just leave me alone."

"Akina…"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Koushiro stared at her long and hard. That instance he realized how different Akina had become in just three years. She was colder and quite self-loathing. Something had to have happened that he was unaware of and unless he knew, there was no possible way he could help. At that moment his thoughts drifted to Michael and Mimi. The couple was constantly bickering with each other, but no matter what, no one stepped forward concerning their true feelings. Instead the reasons that brewed those emotions of hurt and anger remained bottled up and tightly sealed. _Nothing will ever be resolved if no one talks. What an ugly circle we all seem to be caught up in._

Catherine clasped her hands in front of her and lowered her head. "We've all done things that we aren't proud of, myself included. But that doesn't mean we can't fix them…. Or at least try." She laughed lightly and sighed. "I know I'm a coward when it comes to things but if only I'd take my own advice, perhaps things would be better than they already are. Misery may love company, but is it really where we want to be?"

"She always tried to bring us down to her level," the dark haired girl murmured to herself. "And one by one, we all got dragged into the muck."

"Who?" The red head inquired softly.

"It's not important."

Koushiro studied the solemn look on Akina's face and nodded. "Alright." He cleared his throat and shuffled his feet slightly. "In any case, the others probably realize that I'm missing now too so we better find them. You're welcome to join us, Akina."

"Please come. You don't deserve to be isolated in this cave. No one should be alone," Catherine said earnestly as she gathered her bag together and turned pleadingly to the other girl.

Akina stared at her sneakers for a moment then groaned narrowing her green eyes at the French Chosen. "You're going to continue whining to me like a lost puppy until I give in, aren't you?" She pushed her bangs from her face and rose to her feet. "Fine. I'll go with you two, but later on I'll have to ask Catherine if she learned that trick from one of my sisters because I thought only she had mastered the art of the 'sad puppy dog eyes.' Now you've proved me wrong."

Catherine giggled gleefully as Akina began packing away her stuff. Koushiro looked at the two then shook his head.

Suddenly a loud crash followed by frantic footsteps killed the serene atmosphere of the small cavern. The three Chosen froze and fear awakened in their nerves, setting them immediately on edge. The Japanese boy backed up towards the two girls standing defensively before them as they watched the entrance with anticipation over who or what might be on the other side. They didn't have to wait too long as a frizzy haired blonde America popped his head in followed by a pale faced brunette young woman leaning against him.

"Michael! Mimi! Is it really you?" Catherine cried out as the two crumpled to the ground.

"Or what's left of us," Michael replied grimly. It's getting worse in here. The lava is gaining speed and it probably won't be long before it reaches this cavern as well."

"Lava?" Akina gasped with wide eyes.

"Hey, who's the new girl?"

"Michael!" Mimi slapped him upside the head as she scolded him. "You're supposed to introduce yourself, not point and look stupid."

"Hey, I'm not the one who called two of my friends "The Night of the Living Dead in daylight," he snapped back.

Koushiro however merely shook his head. "Akina, That's Nicholson Michael, or Michael Nicholson as they would say it in America, and Tachikawa Mimi. Everyone, this is Asukai Akina."

"Wait, she's a Chosen?" Mimi gaped at the girl's tag as her boyfriend pulled her to her feet.

"Not now Mimi, we have bigger things to worry about such as life threatening lava."

"Where's Takeru?" Catherine questioned as she realized that the blonde teenaged boy was not among the squabbling couple. "He's right behind you, right? RIGHT?"

The brunette young woman however lowered her head. "We lost him. There was a fight….We don't know where he is."

"Then we have to find him. We can't just leave him in here to die. We have to find him." The French girl frantically raced for the entrance but was caught in the arms by the couple. "Let go of me! I have to find Takeru!"

"It's not going to do any good to kill yourself hunting for him." Michael gritted his teeth as he struggled to hold the blonde girl back. However just as Catherine had almost slipped out of their grasps, he lifted her up by the waist and swung her over his shoulder.

"PUT ME DOWN!" Catherine screamed in protest, swinging her arms and legs violently. "TAKERU!"

The American however sighed and turned to the new girl who watching the group in a stunned silence. "I don't suppose you know a way out of here."

Akina blinked then slowly nodded. "Yes, I'll take you there."

Koushiro grabbed her bag and looked at her sternly. "And you're coming with us."

"I-"

"If you want your stuff back, you're coming with us."

The young woman stared at her a moment then brushed past the others. "It's this way," she said, leading the group of Chosen Children out of her makeshift home. Quickly they raced down various caverns before the finally came to a halt in front of what looked like a stream of lava.

"Oh no!" Mimi gasped in fear. "We're trapped!"

Akina glanced around the dim cave as Koushiro dragged the beam of his flashlight around. She pushed a strand of dark hair from her eyes and clenched her hands. "I don't know where to go now…"

"How about this way?" A new voice said from the shadows.

"TAKERU!" Catherine's blue eyes widened as she jumped in surprise, flailing her body weight every which way causing Michael to lose his balance.

"Easy, Catherine. Hey, calm down or we're both going to fall." The French girl however didn't listen and she continued trying to slip out of his grasp causing him to fall, collapsing on his face as he shouted in warning. "Ow," Michael mumbled as Catherine scrambled to her feet anxiously.

Suddenly the missing teenager found himself tackled as the girl pounced on him, throwing them both to the ground with a loud crash. "Hi." Takeru mumbled with a mouthful of Catherine's blonde curls. He carefully pushed the hair from his mouth then sat up, glanced at the others, and flushed a deep red. "Um, hi."

Michael scrambled to his feet and shook his head. "Good to see you're still alive. So where is this great exit you mentioned before Catherine did a maneuver that would make everyone at the Super Bowl in American football jealous?"

Takeru gently pulled the girl away and stood up, helping her to her feet as well. "It's to the right of this cavern, and you wouldn't believe what I found."

"Well, now is as good a time as any to escape certain death so let's go." The American started off down the cave followed by the others at a rapid pace, pausing only once to allow the blonde Japanese boy the option to take the lead; eager to be free of the madness and danger of the volcano.

* * *

Jyou slept peacefully in the corner of the cave when he abruptly awoke to an odd sensation of something tickling his legs. Lazily he opened his dark eyes and blinked at the sight of water surrounding him. He gasped in alarm and lifted his partially wet head up. Luckily the large puddle was only a few centimeters deep or he would have drowned. "Water. There must be a tsunami or a tide or something…. At least the water hadn't risen or…. Ami!"

Recalling the red haired girl, he got to his feet and splashed over to her slumbering form. "Ami, wake up! The cave is flooded," he cried out urgently, shaking her shoulder tensely.

The curly haired girl opened her blue-green eyes and screamed in fright. "We're going to die!" She gripped her sleeping bag closer to her chest and began to sob.

The med student opened his mouth to reply, but was once again at a loss for words. It seemed that Ami was the most pessimistic girl he had ever met. Not to mention a hopeless crybaby. Instead he paused for a moment then took her by the arm and yanked her from her cocoon. "Come on. Crying about it isn't going to do any good. We have to get out of here."

She stared at him for a moment and sniffed. "What's the use? We can't escape from the water. It's just going to continue to rise." A bitter laugh erupted from her throat. "I guess she has finally decided on killing us after all."

Jyou however shoved what he could of her things in her bag and handed it to her. Then he frantically picked up his own backpack and grabbed Ami's arm leading them out through the mouth of the cavern, splashing through the ocean water as they ran. "Damn." The young man came to a halt as a mild wave crashed into them.

"I told you."

_Okay, what would Taichi and the others do? Damn it. I'm not cut out for this. I'm not leadership material, but I can't just sit here and wait for death to come for us. _He quickly turned on his heel and waded to the side of the cave. "This isn't going to be easy."

"What?" Ami glanced at the med student in question but found herself lifted up towards the jagged sides of the cavern as she shrieked in warning.

"Stop screaming and try climbing," Jyou grumbled trying to maintain his already slipping grasp. Just them a particularly strong wave collided into the pair, knocking the young man off his feet, forcing them both to fall into the water.

"I told you this wouldn't work," the girl whimpered, brushing her soaked locks from her face.

"No you didn't," he glared.

Ami however merely shrugged. "Well I was thinking it." She hesitantly rose to her feet and dropped her gaze to the rising water. A small glimmering stone floating on the surface caught her eye and carefully she scoped it up and smiled down at it. "I think I'll keep it," she murmured, slipping the stone with a simple flower etched on its surface in her bag as Jyou wiped his glasses off the best he could. "So any other brilliant ideas?"

"It would have worked if you had grabbed onto the side of the cave instead of screaming like a baby."

"I am not a baby!"

"You sure act like one," he retorted with a snort.

Ami however sent him an icy glare. "And you haven't been stuck here for three miserable years completely alone! Tell me how great your stupid self confidence would be after experiencing that you, you, you, jerk!"

"What are you supposed to be? Some poor little rich girl?"

The girl balled her hands into fists and gave the water a kick, splashing it in Jyou's face. "Leave me alone and don't talk to me!" She spun on her heel and stomped away angrily as tears flooded her eyes once again.

"Like I would ever want to talk to a spoiled brat like you!" The blue haired young man shook his head and sighed. "Why am I yelling at her to begin with? I really have to get out of here before I lose it too." At that moment Jyou realized that something was brushing against his lower back. He turned around and gasped loudly. What had once been not even ankle deep water now reached his waist. This fact did not bode well at all. "Um, Ami…."

"I told you to leave me alone," her voice snapped hotly a short distance away.

"Yes, but I think we really do need to find higher ground unless you're a mermaid or a really good swimmer or something…"

The girl paused as if realization hit her as well. She looked at the salty water and grimaced. "You do have a point."

Jyou stared in disbelief at what seemed to be the denseness of the red head and shoved a handful of hair from his face. _She is unbelievable. Did she not even notice how high the water was before I told her? How in the world did I get stuck with this girl?_

Ami approached the outer wall of the cave and bit her lip. "Can you give me a boast?"

"We tried this before and you made both of us fall," he sighed.

"It's not my fault that you're so clumsy."

"I'M NOT CLUMSY!"

The girl however rolled her eyes and grabbed a hold of a high portion of the cave then pulled herself up. She remained stationary for a moment until her hands slipped and she tumbled backwards into the water with a screech. "That burns," Ami cried out, wincing in pain at a cut on her arm.

"The salt water will clean it out." Jyou walked behind red head and lifted her up before she could even react. "Try again."

Ami drew in a sharp breath then reached towards a higher portion of the cave. Her hands slid slightly from her wet gloves, but Jyou maintained his hold on her, pushing her up even higher. The girl gave out a small cry as she scrambled onto the young man's arms, wavering slightly as she tried to find her center of gravity. Before she knew it, she was balanced perfectly on his shoulder like some overly large parrot. "There aren't any good hand or foot holds. This is useless!"

"Try-" The med student paused as a familiar sound caught his attention in the distance. "I think there's someone up there. Try yelling."

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP US OR WE'RE GOING TO DROWN DOWN HERE!" Ami screamed for all she was worth causing Jyou to shudder at her sharp intervals. Suddenly the thundering sound of footsteps became louder.

"Hey! There's a girl down there!" One voice said excitedly. "Wonder if she's hot."

"Wallace!" A female voice scolded.

"We should help," a third person said. "Hello? Are you okay?" A dark haired teen peered down the cliff and started as his blue eyes met a familiar face. "Jyou?"

"Jyou?" Just then a girl with lavender hair peeked over the edge and squealed in delight. "Jyou! You're alive! Who's your friend?"

"Asukai Ami, but that doesn't really matter. Can you please get us out of here? The water is rising really fast and right now it nearly reaches my chest," the bespectacled young man replied.

"Not a problem, Jyou," Wallace nodded as he leaned down and reached out his hands towards Ami. She bit her lip then accepted, allowing him to pull her up to safety.

"Thank you," she said meekly.

"No problem. Name's Wallace Bailey or Bailey Wallace as you would say it."

"Asukai Ami," the girl smiled.

"Hey! I know I'm tall but you guys can't leave me down here," Jyou shouted from below.

The blonde shook his head. "We'll have to make a human chain. Ken, grab my legs, girls, try to keep him steady because this may be a bit tricky."

Everyone agreed and before they knew it, the eldest of the group was back up on dry land.

"What happened to you, Jyou? We thought you were gone for good," Miyako said thoughtfully as the exhausted young man collapsed on the grass.

He groaned then explained how he had awoken on a beach and met Ami. Briefly he glanced towards the girl that was silently braiding several strands of grass together then shook his head. "Anyway, I think I need a break then we can go run around before danger decides to play with us again."

Ken, Wallace, and Miyako exchanged glances, silently agreeing as they too found a place to rest before beginning the journey to find their other missing friends and a possible way out of wherever they had been sent.

* * *

Cold. Dark. Silent. Those were the words that rushed through Hikari's head as she studied the odd place she was standing in. What appeared to have been an ocean was strangely still, as if one could walk across the surface and not fall through. She rubbed her arms nervously as a chill ran down her spine. As eerie as the atmosphere was, she had a feeling that she had been there before, at least more than once.

"Where is she? Hikari? Where are you?" A familiar voice echoed in her head.

Hikari's eyes widened as she realized that it was none other than her own brother. She spun around anxiously, but no one was there. "Big brother! Taichi! I'm over here!" She paused for a moment, but no one came to her aid. The girl lowered her head, fighting back the tears wishing to fall.

"I don't see any trace of her, Taichi," a female said warily. "Are you sure she's even here?"

"I don't know. But she's not in Odaiba. We have to keep looking, Miyako," he replied.

"Right. And I've mapped out every location back in Odaiba that she could have gone but no one has seen Hikari," a different male voice explained.

"But I'm right here!" Hikari stomped her foot in frustration then sat on the slimy ground, pulling her knees to her chest. "It's just all of you who are missing." She sighed and buried her face in her lap.

"Poor little lost girl," a new voice mocked in a fake sympathetic tone.

The brunette lifted her head and gasped at the sight of the darkly cloaked female. "You! Did you bring me here?"

The young woman circled Hikari as she snickered. "Are you certain that I am the one behind this? Behind everything?"

"I-I don't know what to think."

"You are so pathetic. Crying about things that you can't even help. Whether its memories, dreams, or reality makes no difference. Whatever happens you can't change. You should just accept what is."

"And what would that be? That I should have stood there like a doll and allowed Nitoni to kill me? You were probably behind everything." Hikari shook her head and leaned over her bent knees. "Were you the one behind my missing memories?"

"And if I was, then what would you do? Kill me. Cry, plea, and beg for me to return them. You are absolutely pathetic Yagami Hikari."

"I'm not the one hiding under a cloak."

The figure however laughed. Her blue eyes sparkled like polished gemstones. A sudden breeze flowed through the air, whipping through Hikari's damp locks. "You know nothing and never will. This world is my own and those who have wronged me will feel my wrath if they haven't already done so, including your stupid friends, but especially you, Child of Light."

The ground beneath Hikari cracked as it began to shake, causing her to fall through the earth with a scream.

"Consider this a warning. Whether you actually remember….well, it's not my fault."

* * *

Hikari awoke with a start. She glanced tensely around her surroundings and released a sigh of relief at the sight of the interior of the cave. Daisuke appeared to be asleep on the opposite side, sprawled out in his own sleeping bag. _It was just a dream… Or was it?_ She pushed back the hair that was hanging in her face and groaned. The nightmares were growing more and more confusing, especially regarding the cloaked woman who seemed to enjoy tormenting her. What was even more peculiar was that the place she was during the dream frightened her even more than the mystery person did.

"Hikari? What are you doing awake?" The teenaged boy sleepily rubbed his eyes and yawned. He blinked at her still appearance and sat up. "Bad dream?"

"Or something like that." She turned her focus to her hands. "I can't seem to determine which are memories and which are fake anymore. And it scares me because I can't remember." She hesitated a moment then shook her head. "That woman was back again. She kept telling me I was pathetic, but I don't know why she's so angry with me."

Daisuke watched her in the dim light as she spoke before giving his reply. "We'll find out what's going on here if it's the last thing I do."

"What if this is really all my fault? What if I'm the one who is to blame? Maybe I'm the reason why everyone is gone."

"That's ridiculous. How could you have done any of this?" Daisuke rose to his feet and pulled on his jacket. "It seems to me that whoever that girl is has a serious grudge or something and she's deciding to point the finger at you to make herself feel better. Either that or to bring you down to her level."

"But-"

"This is not your fault."

Hikari drew a breath. "Why do you stick up for me? Why do you believe so much that I'm the victim when it could be because of me that all these things have happened? Why, Daisuke?"

He opened his mouth to reply but froze in mid-thought. Tucking his hands into his pockets, the teenaged boy shuffled his feet slightly and shrugged. "Because…. I've known you too long…."

"Things could have happened since you last saw me. Things that both you and I are unaware of."

Daisuke stared at her for a moment. "Things may have happened, yes. But that doesn't make them your fault. It'd be like blaming Yamato for a hair gel shortage when it could very likely be anyone or no one at all. As Ken would say, it's all in perspective." He paused a moment and scratched his head. "Wow, that came from my mouth? I guess the school thing really has done some good. Look Mom, I have insight!"

Hikari blinked then started giggling. "You just did that to try to cheer me up."

"The insight thing? Nah, I think it was just a phase. It's probably gone now. Yep. It has left me. Oh well, must have felt lonely." He chuckled and stretched out his arms. "I guess we can try venturing out again. Maybe we'll get lucky and actually get somewhere."

"I guess you're right." The girl slowly climbed out of her sleeping bag and gave Daisuke a small smile as a tiny blush colored her pale cheeks. "I just hope the others are alright. Especially my brother."

"Taichi? He's more than likely fine." The soccer player stuffed his things haphazardly in his bag with a shrug. "As I said before, everyone pretty much knows how to take care of themselves so don't worry about that. I'm pretty certain that they're all fine."

"If you say so."

Daisuke spun around and faced the uncertain girl. "Hikari?"

"Sorry. It's just I don't have much confidence with all these dreams I've been having. I can't help but fear for everyone's safety," she whispered zipping up her backpack then dropped her face in her hands. "So of course I can't help but feel like I'm the one to blame because I'm the one being tormented with all these strange dreams outside of the fact that I'm missing my memories."

"I see."

Hikari tilted her head slightly as she glanced at the blank expression on her companion's face. She pushed a strand of hair from her eyes and finished packing. She determined it was a bit odd to have such a lack of response from him when lately he'd been trying to convince her otherwise. For some reason it irritated her. _Why do I care what he thinks? It's not like it really matters. He's just an old friend that wants to help me, that's all. At least… I think that's all. _Hikari bit her lip, stood up, and fixed the tie to her shirt.

"Ready?"

"I suppose so." The pair exchanged glances then headed out of the cave into the sticky humidity. "It's warmer than it previously was," the teenaged girl remarked as they approached a group of trees in the distance.

"Yeah. But then again, when has anything that has gone on here made any sense?"

"True."

They fell into an awkward silence as they continued wandering down the rocky path towards the forest, unaware of what lay before them next.

* * *

Author's Notes: Many apologies on such a late update but with the chaos of my laptop's issues and the irregularities that is my internet connection, well it's been practically blood, sweat, and tears with a bit of madness thrown in for flavor.

This chapter was definitely something else. Not only is it now my longest, most of the characters surprised me with their actions and of course, the outline has been changed once again not that it's a problem. I should return to updating every other week as long as another issue doesn't pop up.

Oh, and I finally edited through the previous chapters which was actually what I was doing before the crisis, so now those annoying typos should be gone if not at least diminished.

Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter and thank you for your reviews.


	20. Struggles of Trust

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 20  
Struggles of Trust  
By  
Sailor Janus

The rain heavily streaked through the air as the three boys marched onward against the storm in search of the three missing Chosen girls. With each step they took, the wind threatened to blow them back another two feet. Taichi grimaced as another strong gust blinded him momentarily with a stinging spray of rainwater to his eyes. "This really sucks!"

Yamato gritted his teeth. His blonde locks saturated with water flew wildly in the breeze. He glanced towards the other boy who appeared just as miserable as they were. "The storm is getting worse."

Iori nodded in agreement slipping slightly on the slick grass. "We better find them soon because I have a really bad feeling about this."

"They better be okay." The leader stumbled to his knees and cursed. He fell backwards from a particularly nasty gust of wind and rain then fought to get back to his feet. He would never forgive himself if something happened to any of the three girls. It was bad enough that Taichi had no idea where his sister was and couldn't seem to do anything to find her, but to lose any of the other Chosen especially those he had been traveling with would be inexcusable.

He knew Sora was more than experienced in the most difficult of conditions, but he did have to question Tani and Rosa's abilities. They were Chosen Children yes, but he did not know exactly what kind of dangers they had dealt with prior to this adventure.

Yamato seemed to know exactly what his best friend was thinking as he touched the brunette's shoulder and looked at him determinedly. "Sora will make sure everyone is okay."

"We shouldn't have split up and it's my fault that we did. What if they're all alone? What if we don't find them? It's going to be all my damn fault!" Taichi shoved the hand from his shoulder and balled his hands into fists. "I AM SUCH AN IDIOT!"

"Beating yourself up over this is not going to do anyone good and it's not going to bring us any closer to finding them." Yamato shook his head and brushed past his self-loathing friend. "We have to keep it together. At least… that's what Sora would say."

"You are our leader, Taichi," Iori reminded him with a sincere look in his emerald gaze. "If you fall apart, so does everyone else. You can't lose your head."

The older brunette however stared down at the ground in dejection. "I don't deserve to lead anyone or anything. Not anymore and probably…. not ever again."

His two comrades stared at him in bewilderment. "Taichi-" Yamato began.

"I DON'T DESERVE TO LEAD THE CHOSEN!" He paused a moment and chuckled bitterly to himself. "I gave my goggles to Daisuke, remember? He's the new leader."

"Yes, but of the younger group," Iori softly said.

Taichi shook his head. "I can't lead anyone. Not even myself. Just…. Someone else should lead. Not me." He spun on his heel and slowly walked through the storm. However, he didn't get too far as Yamato grabbed him firmly by the arm and spun him around.

"Leader or not, you're still coming with us. And we are still going to find the girls. I don't care if I have to kick your ass, knock you out, and bodily drag you across the Digital World and back, but there is no way in hell that I'm going to let you leave, Yagami Taichi. You're my best friend and personally I think Sora would kick my sorry ass herself if she knew that I let you walk away and you ended up dead." The blonde gave him a sharp shove to the chest. "So get moving. All this shit over you not being worthy to lead is really starting to piss me off."

"Whatever." The former goggle head shoved his hands in his pockets and angrily marched through the storm as the other two boys trailed closely behind.

* * *

_Three years? How could someone survive here for so long?_ Sora was lost in her own thoughts as she wandered through the intense storm behind Tani and Rosa. She shivered violently and pushed a tangled mass of red hair from her eyes. It seemed the longer they were there; the more questions popped up in her head and unfortunately, most remained unsolved.

"Are you okay back there, Sora?" Concerned deep brown eyes glanced back at her from a curtain of darker brown tresses flying wildly in the wind. Tani glowered in irritation and pulled her hair away from her face.

"Yeah. I'm just grateful that I'm not wearing white," she laughed.

Tani smirked. "That makes two of us."

"Three of us," the Mexican girl chimed in. "It would be really embarrassing about now."

"I don't think 'soaked to the bone' could describe even half of how drenched we are," Sora squeezed out some excess water from her hair then wrapped her arms around herself again. "I hope we find the guys soon."

"Yeah," Tani murmured softly. She drew a deep breath and exhaled. "And I wish my sister wasn't such a bitch. Then again, maybe it's my fault she's the way she is. Maybe it's my fault that all of this is happening…" Without a single word she heavily dropped to her knees to the muddy ground. Tani stared long and hard at her gloved hands as if trying to force back something that wished to escape that she held deep inside her.

"Tani?" Rosa bent down and looked at the older girl in concern. "Okay, are you going to cry?"

"Don't be silly." She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes. "Why should I cry? I just…"

"Are trying too hard to be strong. I know." Sora knelt beside the forlorn young woman and touched her back gently. "I've been there too many times to count. But you can't give up. Hell, I think Taichi is too damn stubborn to even think of giving up so why should you?"

Tani frowned as she looked at the red head. "What does this have to do about Taichi? I was talking about my sister not-"

"You gave him up because of her, didn't you?"

"I… how did you know?"

"They don't call me the Chosen of Love for nothing." Sora grinned mischievously at the confused girl. "At least that's what I was the bearer of before. Now…I'm not too sure. I guess you could say I have a sixth sense for this kind of stuff." She glanced at Rosa briefly who flushed in turn.

"I…I…I…. I….There is absolutely nothing going on with that jerk, Iori and his hot eyes…. I mean his annoyingly sparkling green eyes. Mr. tall, dark, and handsomely brooding asshole of a guy. I don't even find him that interesting." The Mexican girl folded her arms over her chest and pursed her lips, trying to look infuriated at the suggestion but her now crimson colored face was a dead give away to Sora's meek suggestion.

The other two girls however burst into a fitful of giggles over Rosa's response. "I find it cute. Little Rosa has a crush on Iori." Sora's eyes twinkled with a refreshed light at the mere thought. That brightness however died away quickly as they were suddenly hit by a giant wave of mud that lifted them from the ground and carried them screaming away.

* * *

"This is ridiculous!" Taichi grumbled. "How do we expect to even find them in a storm like this?"

Yamato opened his mouth when a sharp cry from not too far away caught his attention. "Wait… was that…SORA?"

Iori stopped as well and squinted through the blinding rain trying to confirm the whereabouts of the screams. "It sounds like they're coming closer at a rapid pace. Almost as if they're headed right for us."

"We better help them." Taichi said urgently.

The Kendo expert however froze and took a step back. "Um, as you two would probably say… We're in deep shit right now. Whatever it is, is headed straight for us."

"What?"

Iori however didn't get a chance to reply as the rush of water swept them up and stole them away in one bodily motion, taking them along it's wet and muddy journey.

* * *

Michael narrowed his blue-green eyes at the odd sight of fresh snow gracefully lining the outside of the entrance to the cave like some sort of elegant decoration. He scratched his head in puzzlement as Mimi peered in awe at the sparkling powder dusting the frozen soil around frost-coated flowers. "Well, this is unexpected."

"But how could this be? There wasn't snow where we came in at." She ran her fingers against a rock and furrowed her brow in wonder. "This place keeps getting weirder and weirder."

"My sentiments exactly," Koushiro nodded in agreement. "Nothing here makes sense logically."

Akina frowned as well. "But…. The opening I use is normally green and the temperature is not cold enough for snow." She picked an ice-encrusted flower and stared at the intricate crystal formations. "How can this be?"

"Just goes to show that logic doesn't exist here."

"Sounds like the perfect place for my sister," the raven-haired girl muttered bitterly.

Koushiro raised an eyebrow at her, which only earned him a shrug and an abrupt brush off. He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"But since when has anything in the Digital World ever been logical?" Catherine glanced thoughtfully at the snow and turned to Takeru who simply shrugged. "I mean what is so logical about a digital world with digital monsters made of data living in it that can evolve into other types of digital monsters with special abilities and powers? I don't see anything logical about it but that is what is so fantastic about this place. It's almost like magic."

'I don't believe in magic," Akina whispered as she headed deeper into the icy forest. "Anyway, the lava is probably still following us so it'd be best if we stop gawking and keep moving."

"She has a point," Michael said as he took Mimi's hand and pulled her away from a particularly lovely display of iced wild flowers.

The others trailed after them without a single word of protest, each eager to escape from the danger as best they could with their lives.

* * *

_Have I always been like this? So bitter and angry? I finally get to see Koushiro again yet…I'm not happy. Why is that? Is it because of her? Is it because of this place? Or is it just what I have become? _Akina tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she climbed up a particularly steep hill with the other Chosen trailing her a few paces behind. _Did I die? Is this what has become of me?_

The notion of death was one possibility that she had never truly examined. Yes, she had been lured to the Digital World by her sister however whatever happened after her crest was stolen was still a mystery that she was left unable to solve. Could it be possible that she had been killed and left in some sort of strange mockery of the Digital World? If so, what of the others? Had they died too? Perhaps that's why she didn't die there, because she was already dead to begin with. Just considering the concept was enough to make her head hurt.

_But if we aren't dead then I still have to wonder what has become of the others._ Akina sighed and paused at a large ice glazed tree. She tilted her head up towards the frozen leaves and slightly smiled. It was odd how something that seemed so ordinary could appear so beautiful in an almost magical sort of way.

"I think we're a good deal away from the volcano now, but whether it's far enough is another matter," Takeru gasped tiresomely as he wiped a thin layer of sweat from his face.

"I'm too tired to go any further. All we have been doing lately is walking and to be honest, I don't know how much longer I can go on." Catherine sat on the ground near Takeru and groaned. "My feet hurt."

"I have to agree with Catherine. We have barely been able to rest at all." Mimi joined the French girl on the stiff, frigid grass and wrinkled her nose. "However, I think if I sit here too long, my butt may go numb."

Akina said nothing and began walking deeper into the forest.

"Well, this place suits her well. Frosty and ice cold."

"Mimi!" Michael sent a glare towards his girlfriend who simply ignored his tone of disapproval as she began flicking ice from the blades of grass.

_It doesn't matter what they think. I don't really care. _Green eyes shifted to the ground in thought. Akina unconsciously formed her hands into fists as a chill ran down her spine. She blinked several times and drew a sharp breath. _I don't care._ _I don't…_. _so why does it hurt so much?_ A glittering object on the ground took a hold of her focus before she could even fully consider the question. "What?" Akina bent down and frowned in confusion at the small gray stone. Curiously, she picked it up and studied the engraving of what resembled a simple hourglass. A sad smile appeared on her lips as she enclosed it in her grasp. "So you've found me again."

"Akina?"

The young woman gasped as she whipped around and met the gaze of the last person she wished to see. A tightening sensation flooded her stomach as she fought to tear her eyes away from the red head's intense stare. "Sorry. I was just talking to myself." She hesitated a moment and dropped her head as though the thick blades of grass were more interesting than the computer expert's perplexed expression.

"I see." Koushiro tilted his head slightly and ran a hand through his mussed locks. "You found a Power Stone didn't you."

"A what?"

"A Power Stone. It's a stone with what seems to be a crest symbol etched on its surface. What it does, we aren't sure. All I know is we have to find them."

"I didn't find any such thing."

He frowned at her. "Then what is in your hand?"

"Nothing." Akina replied quickly, tucking her hands into her pockets.

Koushiro shook his head. "You picked up something. I saw you."

"So now you're going to spy on me?" She glowered at him. "I thought you were above that."

"And I thought you were above lying through your teeth and keeping secrets."

At that moment Takeru and the others approached then paused a moment as they looked between the two. "And I think that bush way over there looks more interesting." Quickly he ducked away from the others before someone could say a word.

Michael stared at the departing blonde and pointed to the sky. "I have to agree." Soon he, Mimi, and Catherine left as well, leaving Akina and Koushiro to continue their argument.

Akina however chose that moment to walk away without a single word. The red head stared at her back as if debating whether or not to follow before he sped after her.

"Wait! You are acting ridiculous. I understand how it can be going from total isolation to having people you don't particularly care to associate with trying to be your friends, but that doesn't mean that you have to turn a cold shoulder on everyone." Koushiro grabbed the girl's arm and made her face him. "At least, that's not how you used to be."

"Things change." She adverted her eyes from his own in an effort to mask her guilt-ridden face. "And sometimes things that you wish could change, don't."

"Akina…"

"Don't. Please. Everyone is better off without me."

Koushiro furrowed his brow at her unaware that she had once again slipped out of his grasp. "What happened to you?"

"I-I don't know. I just don't like what's become of me." Akina drew a deep breath and slowly lowered herself to the ground in front of a frozen tree. "Maybe I've just been trapped here too long…. But I still don't understand why she did it."

"Who?"

Just as the girl was about to reply, she thought better of it and instead shook her head solemnly. "It's not important."

"Akina…" The red head sat down next to her, studying her pain filled eyes as they flooded with tears. He reached out to brush them away but she jerked back and scampered back to her feet.

"I'm sorry, Shiro, but I can't. I just can't." The tears finally broke through the surface as Akina streaked away before Koushiro could even react. Leaving him to only watch as she ran.

* * *

Ken stared into the gray cloudless sky and made a face. So much had happened since they had arrived in the Digital World, yet he was unsure if they were even in the Digital World to begin with considering all the odd occurrences of the late. Of course this only increased his concern for the others' well being. He grabbed his backpack from the ground and unzipped it, pulling out his D-Terminal. He could barely remember the last time he had heard from the others, and that only worried him more.

With a renewed determination on his face, he began typing.

* * *

**Hello Everyone,**

**I hope you all are okay and out of danger. Lately we've had to deal with earthquakes, small tsunamis, flooding, and collapsing trees. Luckily, we have all escaped pretty much unscathed other than a few bruises and cuts, but nothing life threatening. **

**The newest development is we lost Jyou for a while when a huge wave had carried him away. He was found later by a girl named Asukai Ami who also appears to be a Chosen. Jyou said that she told him she was trapped here for three years, which I find to be rather incredible. Currently she is traveling with us, though she does not give much in the way of an explanation as to how she became stuck here to begin with. She doesn't really say much at all. Jyou said she does cry a lot. I just hope Miyako doesn't lose her temper if she really does cry as much as Jyou said she does. With my luck, I'd end up being the one getting decked trying to keep Miyako at bay. **

**All of us have also found one Power Stone each although we still have no idea as to how to activate them if that is even possible. I do have to wonder if Ami has one as well. I'll have to ask her the next time I see her since she is a Chosen as well. If only Gennai could have given us a little more to go by. Then again he may not know too much of what is going on himself.**

**Has anyone heard from either Daisuke or Hikari? I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling concerning them and can't help but to be worried. Somehow I don't think it's a coincidence that all these events have been happening here at the same time that we try to look for Hikari's missing memories. I have a feeling that the two may be interconnected though how, I'm not sure. I just hope that we all can survive whatever we may face as well as find the missing digimon. **

**Please write back something soon so I don't have to continue worry about everyone being dead. It was hard enough trying to keep Miyako calm when we lost Jyou for that time period while trying to keep my own wits about. I don't need to fly off the handle myself, though Wallace seems to keep everyone together pretty well to say the least. Someone remind me to buy him a pair of goggles. Taichi, you can do the honors of presenting them to him.**

**Sincerely,**

**Ken**

* * *

Ken closed his eyes and he hit send. He didn't know why but he felt very uneasy about something and it made him sick to his stomach. _You've got to keep it together, Ichijouchi._

"Are you okay, Ken?" Miyako looked at him thoughtfully as she joined his side on the crisp cool grass.

He looked at her gratefully and exhaled. "Yeah. I sent a message to the others. I just hope they'll reply soon."

"I'm sure they will. At least… most of them." Her brown eyes softened at the thought of their two missing best friends. "If anything happens to Hikari and Daisuke…. I will hunt down however hurt them and make them pay dearly."

Ken smiled at his girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her. He loved her inner strength and missed that quality dearly. It was right then that he realized how much they all had changed, and not for the better. If there was any good to come from this adventure, it would be that whatever wounds they all possessed would heal from the sharp daggers that life had bore upon them.

"Ken…" a bright flush painted the girl's cheeks a vibrant rosy color.

He smiled and pulled back, looking into her glassy gaze, a vision of dreaminess and wonder evident her eyes. "Sorry, I just figured it was appropriate at the moment."

Miyako smiled back as she whispered. "There's nothing to apologize for." She leaned closer to him, but just as the courage had been gathered, another interruption forced her to slam on the brakes in the formed of blonde head peering down at them.

"Oh! Sorry. Am I interrupting something?" Wallace stepped back in embarrassment as Ami and Jyou joined him as well.

"No!" The lavender haired girl rushed to her feet and brushed off the back of her shorts.

"I just sent a message to the others. It's been too long since we last heard from them." The former Digimon Kaiser also stood up with a blank expression on his face as he zipped up his bag.

"Others?" Ami's blue-green eyes widened as she gripped the sides of her skirt. "You mean there are more of you? Do you think they may have found my sisters?"

"SISTERS?" Jyou glanced at the red head in disbelief and as she slightly swayed, humming softly to herself. "You didn't mention that part."

The girl however shrugged innocently. "I guess I forgot. Oh! Daisies!" Happily she sprinted towards a patched of white flowers, leaving the puzzled trio to stare after her.

"Unbelievable." Mikayo shook her head as she ran a hand through her long hair. "I don't know whether she did that on purpose or really is that one-track minded?"

"You've got me there," Wallace scratched the back of his head and blinked several times in confusion. "If it's the latter then she's more blonde than I am and I'm a natural."

"You just stereotyped yourself," Jyou pointed out.

The American however grinned. "I know. I also know hair color doesn't show how many brain cells you have, but if you're going to make fun of someone, might as well be yourself that way when someone else does it, you can just laugh it off."

"Rough time in high school?" Ken looked at the boy who shrugged thoughtfully.

"You could say that. But it was even worse in middle school. The other kids just didn't understand how a blonde haired guy could be so smart. I was small for my age until I hit a growth spurt, which made matters even worse. I was also one of the best baseball players but even then I didn't fully belong."

"Didn't you go to school with Mimi and Michael?"

Wallace smirked. "Nope. It was private school for me. Plus I'm a year younger than Michael and two behind Mimi. So needless to say, I was kinda on my own."

Miyako opened her mouth to comment when suddenly a blood-curdling scream murdered the calmness in the air with one deadly swipe. Frantically they spun around to find Ami was gone.

* * *

Daisuke released a sigh of discomfort as he briefly closed his eyes wishing for a breeze to eradicate the dry atmosphere as he and Hikari wandered through the brittle, rapidly dehydrating forest. One thing he had to admit, wherever they were just couldn't seem to decide on what temperature to be. "Can't the weather make up its mind? It's worse than when Jun goes clothes shopping."

"Not all girls are like that," Hikari said simply, pausing as Daisuke slipped off his backpack followed by his jacket.

He blinked at her then snickered. "Can't say that of yourself."

"What do you mean?" She pouted at him, making the spiky haired boy laugh harder.

"You are worse than Mimi at times when trying to pick out something to wear and even worse when shopping."

"I am not."

"Oh come on. Taichi has told me horror stories of you practically ransacking your closet trying to find that perfect outfit to wear as you race around in a mad panic." He chuckled as she glared at him with her arms crossed. He tied the jacket around his waist then pulled the heavy bag back over his shoulders. "He even showed me pictures of the aftermath as proof."

"WHAT! I'm going to kill him!" Hikari clench her hands into fists and appeared to be ready to hunt down her older brother and put his lights out. Daisuke however grabbed her by the hand and yanked her back making the girl do a twirl mid-step. She flushed lightly at the bemused expression on her companion's face. "What?"

Daisuke however shook his head. "Won't do you any good. For one thing, you'd never kill Taichi and for another, I've _seen_ the aftermath in person."

"You have?" She asked in a small voice, her brown eyes wide as the blush deepened. "Oh."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. It was kinda cute seeing you rush around trying to find something for the ski trip…." He stopped however as the memory tried to return. The sparkle in his eyes dimmed as he pushed the memory away before it could fully return and his hand slipped away from hers as if he were unaware that he was still holding it.

"Daisuke?" Hikari glanced at him curiously at the noticeable change in the boy's demeanor.

Quickly he plastered a smile on his face and ran a hand nonchalantly through his locks. "Come on. We need to get out of this heat before you melt."

"Okay," she whispered as they started off again. Occasionally she stole curiously glances his way, but the boy only looked straight ahead with a blank stare. Hikari sighed and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear.

_Damn it. I can feel her gaze on me. Why doesn't she just let it go? She wants her memories yet… I don't want mine. How ironic can you get? _Daisuke exhaled sharply and came to a halt. He turned and looked at the girl then refocused on one of the dying trees. "I'm sorry. I just…. It's hard sometimes because some memories are good while others are bad, but both can hurt like a thousand knives stabbing into your heart at once. I'll do what I can but…" He fell silent as he found the ability to say what he felt grow increasingly difficult.

She touched his arm with a genuine smile. "It's okay. I understand. But there is something to keep in mind and that is that despite whether it's a good memory or not, it's still in the past and you shouldn't live in the past. Even so, you can learn from the past and with that knowledge, make the present and possibly even the future brighter."

He numbly nodded, his bare skin growing warm from her gloved hand below the short sleeve of his t-shirt. His brown eyes focused on her own as a true smile formed on his lips. "Thanks, Hikari."

"And thank you for sticking with me this far. If it weren't for you…I-I may not have been able to see my brother again…. because I would have been dead."

"Hikari-"

"And I'm not talking about this…place." She bowed her head and drew a breath. "I don't know if I would have had the courage to run from Nitoni when he tried to kill me but for some reason after our encounter in the park I found the tiniest will to continue living. It was small, but somehow, even though I was slowly self-destructing…. When faced with the actual possibility of death, I fought against it. Even when I wanted to threw myself off the balcony and you stopped me, I…. just couldn't bring myself to do it."

"I…don't really know what to say…."

"I don't know if it's because of you or if for once, I actually felt like someone gave a damn about me outside of my family, but well, thank you."

"I'm glad you are still alive and I promise to fight to make sure you stay that way….no matter what," Daisuke said sincerely with every fiber of his being. Suddenly his eyes narrowed as he looked out in the distance. The sticky humidity was being smothered by a strong breeze that wafted through their hair. Further out a deafening roar growled in fury, increasing his anxiety. "Okay, I guess I should be more careful what I wish for. This might be bad."

"I don't like this," Hikari murmured nervously as she tightened her grasp on his arm.

"We better get out of here and fast because I have a really bad feeling considering this place's track record with disasters." He took a step back, feeling as though he were in a particularly large box that was about to seal them both inside if they did not escape in time.

"You won't hear any arguments here." Together Daisuke and Hikari took off at a frantic pace, unaware of where the true danger lurked.

* * *

Author's Notes: Hopefully my laptop issues are now done with. Aside from that this particular story is increasingly getting more and more interesting. Bits and pieces of what will happen in the future keep coming to me and I find that it's hard not to play those futures scenes in my head.

I hope you all enjoyed my newest chapter. More is yet to come….


	21. Trinity Affairs

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 21  
Trinity Affairs  
By  
Sailor Janus

Tani opened her eyes and coughed. The first thing that came to mind once her head stopped spinning was that she felt a great urge to be sick. Weakly, she reached up to touch her forehead then froze at the sight of her dirty hand. It was right then that she realized that she was lying in the middle of a rather large mud puddle. "Great. Just what I always wanted; a mud bath."

"I need a shower," Rosa wrinkled her nose in disgust. "This is so gross!"

"It would be better if you'd get off me," A soft yet very male voice growled from under the Mexican girl.

"Oh!" The teenaged girl's eyes widen in surprise as she leapt off the boy's back with a quickly spreading flush on her dirty face.

"Iori?" Sora gasped in shock. She glanced behind them and let out a cry at the sight of her boyfriend and best friend sprawled out on the ground. "Where did you guys come from?"

Yamato groaned as he lifted his head and ran a hand through his hair, grimacing at the slimy sensation. He made a face and wiped his hand on his pants. "We don't know. All I remember is being hit by the big wave and now we're here."

"Why do I taste dirt?" Taichi muttered picking his head up from the ground. He froze and blinked in shock at the sight of the girls covered in mud.

"That would be because you probably swallowed quite a bit," The musician sighed as he stood up and stretched. He stared in shock at the mud-covered field they were in and folded his arms over his chest. "Well, there's not much here but I do see some trees not too far from here."

"At least everyone seems to be okay other than the fact that we all need a nice long bath," Tani smiled as she gathered herself off the ground. She glanced momentarily at Taichi and bit her lip then spun on her heel away from the forest. "I suppose we all probably just experienced a mudslide."

Sora shifted her gaze between the two older brunettes and sighed. She smoothed her hair that had plastered itself to her cheek and tucked it behind her ear with a thoughtful expression. Well, there are worse things to be rather than covered in mud."

"Like dead?" Rosa chimed in.

"Yeah."

"I don't care to consider that concept," Tani said sharply. Her eyes flickered slightly as she balled her hands into fists. She drew a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Now was not the time to relate to the others on the mishaps between her and her sisters. Even if Taichi didn't care for her anymore, she didn't feel now was the time nor the place. _Why didn't you ever listen to me? Damn you._

"Let's just go." The red head moved to brush past the boys to head into the forest when Yamato caught her by the wrist. She blinked and looked into his glassy blue eyes hesitantly then quickly turned away.

"I'm sorry, Sora. Please don't be angry with me anymore," he breathed earnestly into her ear.

A shiver ran down her spine and she swallowed thickly. "I'm not. I-I don't even remember why I was mad at you before."

"I was fighting with Taichi again."

"Oh yeah." She snapped out of her stupor and narrowed her eyes at him. "Try not to lose your temper anymore. Either of you." A glare was sent Taichi's way as well before she slipped away from her boyfriend and marched off towards the forest.

Yamato tilted his face towards the sky and sighed. "I can tell I going to have some feet kissing in the future."

"You think?" His best friend smirked in amusement.

"Not as badly as you will."

"Me kiss feet? Nah. Won't happen."

Tani lowered her head and rushed after Sora without a single word to anyone.

Yamato shook his head and ran a hand down his face in exasperation over his friend's comment. "You were saying?"

Taichi dropped his jaw and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Shit."

"I think that about sums it up."

"I know who not to get dating tips from," Iori murmured shaking his head at the two.

"You're all jerks!" Rosa hissed with a rather cold and venom filled look at the quiet teenager. "And you especially you, Mr. Hotshot Smarty Pants!" She stood silent for a moment as if unsure of what else to say then raced after the other two girls.

"What just happened?" The Kendo expert blinked in shock earning snickers from his comrades.

"I think she likes you, Iori," Yamato said smugly.

The teenager scratched his head. "I don't think I'll ever understand girls." The other two Chosen sighed and slowly made their way towards the forest.

* * *

"The nerve of him!" Tani shouted as she balled her hands into fists. 

"That's Taichi." Sora said simply, trailing after the frustrated girl.

The tall brunette turned on her heel and put her hands on top of her head as she closed her eyes. "Just when I think things could work he says stupid stuff like that."

"Taichi doesn't think too much about what he says. He has a worse foot-in-mouth complex than Yamato. And Yamato is used to the taste of shoe leather by now." The red head paused a moment and giggled. "The point is sometimes they say stupid stuff and they may not even realize it."

"I know. I know." Tani sighed and shoved a strand of hair from her eyes. "The point is that I should be used to this, but I'm not. Not anymore."

"At least they talk unlike that Iori," Rosa growled as she raced up to the other two Chosen girls. "He may be smart but he's completely dense."

"I just…. ARGH!" Without a second thought, Tani kicked a mound of leaves and screamed in frustration. She paused a moment, as something glittering in the scattered brush caught her attention.

Sora smiled. "Feel better?"

"It's not that…." Hesitantly the formerly upset girl bent down and picked up a small stone with what appeared to be two hands grasping one another etched on the surface. "I can't believe it…"

"It's a Power Stone," The Mexican girl gasped in surprise. Sora spun around and looked as well.

"You have one as well…." The red head breathed.

"It's the same as the symbol of my crest," Tani whispered in bewilderment.

Just then shouts were heard from afar as the three Chosen boys sprinted towards them. The girls turned around but didn't seem to register the excited expressions on their faces.

"You girls have to hear this! Iori just got an email from Ken," Taichi said excitedly. He approached Tani and grinned at her. "Y-you're an Asukai, right?"

"Yes…"

"Do-do you know a girl named Asukai Ami?"

The young woman's brown eyes widen in amazement and she nearly dropped her stone. She covered her mouth with one hand and slowly nodded. "She's-she's my… youngest sister…."

"Ken and the others have found her," Iori announced calmly the showed them the email.

Tani looked through the email and nearly dropped the D-Terminal as her legs gave out from under her. "She's safe. She's safe." A brief moment later she passed out.

* * *

"Well, this is what I really planned on doing with my day. Hunting for Koushiro's missing girlfriend," Mimi snorted as they wandered through tall ice covered trees. 

Michael opened his mouth to reply when the red head cut him off snapping, "Shut up, Mimi!"

Takeru blinked at the venom in his friend's voice and gaped. "That was unexpected…"

Koushiro whirled around and narrowed his dark gaze at the younger blonde. "What? Am I not allowed to have emotions? I can only stare into a stupid computer screen for the rest of my life like a mindless robot or something?"

"No, you can have emotions-"

"Then shut up."

Michael placed his hand on the red head's shoulder. "Hey, Koushiro. Calm down, or you might not have any friends left to say shut up to."

"Just… leave me alone. I don't need anyone's pity." He shrugged off the comforting hand and quickened his pace.

"Damn, I never expected to see him this upset. The guy really can have a temper." Michael tucked his hands in his pockets and shook his head. "I wonder what actually went on between those two. Somehow I doubt their relationship was purely platonic. I never fathomed that Koushiro could land such a looker."

"Michael!" Mimi swatted him upside the head and glared at him.

"What? She is. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's not like I'm going to dump you for her." He paused a moment wincing. "Koushiro would probably beat me to a bloody pulp with his laptop and I don't even _want_ to imagine the damage you could do with one of your pairs of heels."

"Spiked preferably. Maybe stiletto."

"Mi..."

She giggled and tossed back one of her pigtails from her shoulder. "I'm just joking. I don't even have any stilettos. I tried a pair on but they pinched my feet."

"Death by shoe. I'd hate to see the carnage," Takeru wrinkled his nose in disgust at the thought causing Catherine to giggle.

"It would make a really interesting headline," she added. "Might make front page."

The writer's blue eyes shone with a wicked glint. "**Spiked Heels Take a Stab Out of Man.**" He paused a moment and rubbed his chin. "Maybe I should try my hand at journalism."

Catherine looked at him carefully as she tilted her head. "I think a journalist would be a marvelous fit."

"Really?"

"_Oui!_ Well, you seem to always enjoy looking for information and writing. You are also a good conversationalist. I think it'd be a good idea."

"Thank you, Catherine. That means a lot to me," Takeru said genuinely.

"I'd never lie to you, Takeru," she whispered, staring into his now sparkling gaze. She bit her lip nervously and drew back a bit. "I-I hope Akina is alright."

"Yeah." He replied breathlessly as if not really hearing what the French girl had said. "Me too."

"Well, I'm not going to be your first article, Takeru." Michael snorted with his arms folded over his chest.

"Right! Besides, how in the world would I be able to get the stains off my shoes? They'd be absolutely ruined," Mimi remarked with a giggle.

Her American boyfriend stared in horror in that she had actually taken consideration into it and gulped. "Um, you're not actually planning on being 'The Spiked Heel Murderess' are you?"

"Hm, a black widow with excellent fashion sense. Sounds like a great story," Takeru grinned, annoying Michael even more.

This made Mimi laugh harder. "No, I could never kill you, Michael." She threw her arms around him in a bear hug and kissed his cheek. "Besides, what would I do with the body?"

"MIMI!"

"Just kidding," she said, ruffling his curly locks.

Catherine glanced at Takeru and blushed. She quickly refocused on the ground and clasped her hands in front of her as if nervous. "I-I hope we can find Koushiro and Akina… Koushiro seemed really angry."

Takeru nodded as he too stared at the ground. "Yeah. He really did."

Mimi released Michael and made a face. "Well, I still can't believe he yelled at me. I mean she really _has_ been a bitch since we first met her…. I was only speaking the truth."

The French girl however shook her head. "Yes, but…. You weren't there when I first met her. There's something we are missing."

Just then the sound of Takeru's D-Terminal made everyone jump. The blonde teen paused a moment in confusion then quickly dug it out.

"Anything important? Is everyone okay?" Mimi asked, her voice shaky with fear.

"It's from Ken and…. does Akina have a sister?"

"What?" Michael snatched the computer from Takeru's grasp and scanned the text on the small screen. "Shit. Didn't she say her name was Asukai Akina?"

"I think so," Catherine replied softly.

"Then that explains the attitude. Let's go find her." The others agreed and headed out deeper into the forest in search of their two missing comrades.

* * *

"Where did she go?" Miyako raced to the patch of flowers Ami previously was sitting in the middle of before she had screamed and disappeared. "Why do I have a feeling that girl is going to be more trouble than she's worth?" 

"Calm down, Miyako. She couldn't have gone too far," Ken said, narrowing his eyes at the daisies.

"Well, I don't see her anywhere!"

Wallace scowled at the ground in thought. "Do you suppose someone snatched her?"

Miyako spun around in exasperation and faced him. "Who? Enlighten me because I'd really like to know."

The American took a step back, throwing his hands up in defense. "Hey, it was just a possibility. Besides, there is no telling who else might be here."

"Or she could have fallen into a large hole," Jyou said in a deadpan. The others slowly turned around and stared at him. He shrugged and pointed at the ground a few feet from where they stood. "See for yourself."

Ken blinked at the large hole encircled by a ring of wild flowers and scratched his head. "Maybe we jumped to conclusions a little too quickly."

"Is she okay?" His girlfriend inquired as she peered down the hole. "She's not moving..."

"It looks several feet deep. We might be able to reach her," Wallace noted as he scratched the back of his head.

Suddenly the ground beneath them collapsed, sending the four Chosen plummeting down into the hole.

Weakly Ken lifted his head and coughed. "I don't think we have to consider how to get Ami out of the hole anymore." He frowned in confusion at the sight of long legs draped over his chest and quickly blocked a rather violent kick that seemed directed to his face. "Watch it, Miya!"

"Sorry. I'm kinda doing a handstand here," she replied, flaying slightly in efforts to right herself feeling absolutely ridiculous.

"What is it with everyone landing on me?" Wallace growled from the bottom of the pile.

"Where are my glasses? Damn it. I knew I should have invested in contact lenses for these stupid adventures," Jyou grumbled in aggravation.

"GET OFF ME!"

"I WOULD IF I COULD, BUT I CAN BARELY SEE ANYTHING!"

"Um, what are all of you doing?" A soft voice said in confusion. "Actually I don't think I want to know."

"Ami, have you seen my glasses?" Jyou sighed as the girl giggled. She crawled around the group a moment before finally retrieving the frames.

"Got them." She blow softly on the lenses and peered inquisitively at them. "Looks like they're okay. Not a scratch."

Miyako flipped herself over and landed next to the girl. She shoved her tangled lavender hair from her face and winced. "I think I'm going to be one big bruise when this is over with."

"You're not the only." Ken joined them as the last two Chosen untangled themselves. He turned to Ami and nodded. "I sent an email to the others. Hopefully they'll respond and if your sisters are with them, they'll let us know."

"Really? They might have found my sisters?" She threw her arms around him as she squealed happily. "Thank you!"

"Hey, hands off him. Ken has already been spoken for," Miyako hissed at the red head looking as though she were ready to strike the girl. "Go hug Wallace or Jyou."

Ami pulled away from the indigo haired boy and sulked as she walked away.

Ken however stared at his now blushing girlfriend. "What was that all about?"

"I just didn't want her to get any wrong ideas. There are two perfectly good single guys here. She doesn't need to try staking her claim on you….and I don't want you to decide that the maybe there are better fish out there than geeky, obnoxious me."

"You're not geeky and you're not obnoxious."

"Ken…"

"Okay, you can be a bit obnoxious, but you are definitely not a geek. Besides, I kind of like the fiery spirit in you." He glanced at the ground as if trying to hide his reddening face. "What drew me to you was that fire. You were a challenge and untamable."

Miyako slowly nodded. "But I changed. I-I don't know why…. but…." She hesitated as if unsure of what to say next.

Ken glanced at the others to find them conversing on the opposite end of the hole then he leaned in closer and kissed her briefly on the lips. "Keep that in mind," he whispered as he broke away.

"Okay." She replied as a soft chime broke the couple from their trance. "It's your D-Terminal."

"Right." He quickly pulled it from his bag and flipped it open as the others swarmed around them.

"Is it my sisters? Did they find them? DID THEY!" Ami bounced up and down trying to get a better look.

"Cool it back there." Wallace shook his head as Jyou shrugged in a silent response.

Ken smiled at the sight of two new messages. He opened the one from Iori and read it out loud.

* * *

**Greetings,**

**We also had some trouble in the form of earthquakes causing trees to crash, fires, rainstorms, a monsoon, and a mudslide. However, everyone else is all right.**

**There were also some instances of being separate as well, but currently we're back together in a group again. We too found a girl that seems to be a Chosen as well Her name is Asukai Tani. She had confirmed that Ami is her younger sister before she had passed out from what was more than likely exhaustion. She should be okay. She and Taichi also seem to know each other. This news did not go over well with Yamato especially since he hates secrets and was probably hurt by the fact that Taichi never told him considering that they are best friends. They did however make up so Sora doesn't have to try to break up their fights for now or storm away in frustration over their antics.**

**All of us have also found our Power Stones including Tani as Rosa attests to. She had just found hers shortly before we had received the email. Rosa also says that Tani mentioned something about its symbol was the same as the one on her crest. You might want to ask Ami if she found a Power Stone and if she had a crest. It might be important. **

**Unfortunately, we have not heard from either Daisuke or Hikari. Taichi seems to be beating himself up over it to the point where he feels he is no longer worthy of being the leader. This is worse than the time when Hikari disappeared and nearly caught pneumonia. It's really tearing him up that he can't find her. The fact that we can't even confirm whether or not Daisuke is with her isn't very comforting either. Hopefully they're both okay.**

**Oh, Takeru, your brother wants you to send a copy of your response to me as well so we know that you're still alive as well. **

**Iori**

* * *

Ken glanced at the others then read the next email, his mind already swimming with the information Iori had given them.

* * *

**Hey Everyone,**

**Yeah, we also ran into some problems with earthquakes, rocks slides, and a volcano, but don't worry. We're all alive, including a girl that Catherine found inside a cave in the volcano. Her name is Asukai Akina and interestingly enough, Koushiro seems to know her. Michael thinks they were more than just friends and judging by the way the two have behaved towards each other I can't help but agree. Mimi however isn't too fond of her, but Catherine says that there is something about Akina that we might have been missing. She was right. Currently we're trying to find both Koushiro and Akina. Both ran off, but not together. I guess she must have said something to Koushiro because he actually yelled at Mimi!**

**We have all found our Power Stones, but have no clue about Akina. She doesn't really say much about her and that seems to irritate Koushiro. I just wish we knew what we're supposed to do next other than stay alive against whatever force of Nature decides to try to kill us. I'm really starting to miss Patamon, which is funny because I had forgotten about the little guy for I guess years. Man, now I feel horrible. We all turned our backs on our partners. How cold can we be! I say we owe them a very large buffet whenever we find them again. I hope Patamon and the others aren't too angry with us, but then again, we deserve it. What happened to us?**

**Now I'm getting even more worried about Hikari and Daisuke after you said that Ken. It does makes sense but I guess it was just something that I didn't want to consider. That and they may have been killed. I know it's a bad thought but… it can happen. None of us are immortal so…. damn it. I didn't want to depress myself with that. And I'm sorry if I depressed you with that thought. Its just things are looking so hopeless that I don't know what to do. I guess the best thing we can do is just try to survive. That's all we really can do at this point.**

**Take care and I miss you all. If we get out of this alive I suggest we do some serious patching up.**

**Your Friend,**

**Takeru**

* * *

"Takeru is feeling hopeless? This looks bad," Miyako murmured as Ken closed out the emails. 

"I know." He turned to Ami and walked towards her. "You now know your sisters are okay so can you give us some information such as if you found a gray stone with a symbol etched on it which may have matched your crest?"

"I thought it looked familiar," she replied pulling out her Power Stone. "And yes, it's the same as my crest before…" Ami dropped her focus to the ground and tears began welling up in her blue-green eyes. Her chin quivered as she made whimpering sounds.

Miyako rolled her eyes. "What's wrong now?"

The timid girl however didn't answer as she began to cry, wailing loud enough to make a banshee deaf.

"Is that really necessary?"

Ami sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "You wouldn't understand what I've been through! Trapped in this stupid place away from every single human being and digimon." She narrowed her eyes coolly at Miyako and shoved her. "So stop being such a bitch!"

"Only when you stop the 'poor me' me act."

"I am not asking for PITY!"

"SURE SEEMS LIKE IT!"

Ami stared loathingly at the lavender haired girl for a moment and swung out her hand connecting it firmly against the other girl's cheek. 'SHUT UP!"

"That's IT!" Miyako swung out a fist and rather than hit her intended target, she instead nailed Ken as he tried to separate the two. She stared at her boyfriend's quickly swelling eye for a moment then spun around and hissed at the red head. "Now do you see what you made me do!" She gave no warning and leapt towards the girl only to be caught around the waist by Ken as Jyou and Wallace held back Ami.

"KNOCK IT OFF, YOU TWO!" The former Digimon Kaiser looked between the two girls and shook his head. "This is not a time to fight. We need to find a way out of this stupid hole before something else happens."

Just then the sides of the hole began to collapse, raining dirt upon the Chosen, threatening to bury them alive.

* * *

The animalistic like roar of the wind grew louder the more Daisuke and Hikari ran. It seemed no matter what direction they went, the sound did not diminish even the slightest bit, only intensifying more with each step they took. 

"Damn it. Why won't this place just leave us alone?" The young man cursed again as a spray of sand flew into his eyes.

"It doesn't want us to find out the truth," Hikari whispered.

Daisuke glanced at her for a second and frowned. He forgot that she seemed to have an odd ability to sense things. He only wished there was a way to bring back her memories then maybe it would be the end to the chaos they were trapped in. "There has to be somewhere safe to go."

"Not if it's following us."

He opened his mouth to reply when suddenly a large spiral of wind burst from the trees, ripping them to shreds. He gaped in horror and tightened his grip on Hikari's hand. "SHIT! It-it's a tornado."

She spun around and gasped. Daisuke however didn't leave her any time to say a word as he increased his pace, pulling her along with him.

"We have to get out of here before-"

"But it's coming straight for us!"

"WHAT!" He came to a halt and studied the tornado closely. _It wasn't moving like that before. Aw, damn it. It is following us in some twisted version of cat and mouse… Is someone controlling it?_ Daisuke shook his head and scanned their surroundings quickly. "There has to be some way to outsmart it. Gotta think."

"Daisuke…" Hikari shrank back as it gained several more feet on them. She shrieked as her skirt rose up a bit and smooth down what she could with one hand as she pressed herself against her companion.

"I got it! RUN!" Frantically he led them through a tangle of dead trees and bushes weaving left to right before doubling back to the opposite direction. He looked behind his shoulder and found despite the strange path they had raced through that the bizarre tornado was still following. _If I don't do something soon, it's gonna suck us up. And there is only one chance to survive this one._ His brown eyes suddenly lit up as they neared a hill. "Look for a ditch!"

"A what?"

"Trust me."

Hikari stared at him in confusion. "But-"

Daisuke however continued his hunt. He looked below and grimaced. There was a rather muddy looking ditch but it was a ways down. They had only one choice that hopefully wouldn't result in broken bones. "JUMP!"

"WHAT!"

"JUMP!" He yanked on Hikari's arm and he leaped into the air. She followed suit and soon they found themselves tumbling down the hill as the cry of the tornado began to resemble a freight train as it too increased speed. They continued to roll down the hill and made it into a clearing, landing in a ditch a few feet from the bottom of the hill. As Hikari screamed, Daisuke grabbed her, holding her close to him as he covered her with his body. He lifted the back of his jacket up and over their heads, trying to shield them the best as he could. "It'll be okay, Hikari. We'll be okay."

She didn't say anything as frightened tears streamed down her face. She was clutching onto Daisuke so hard that her fingernails were starting to bit into his skin.

They stayed silent in they flimsy shelter not realizing that they had both been holding their breath as the tornado roared above. Daisuke clenched his eyes shut and suddenly, everything was silent. After they waited for what seemed like hours he finally poked his head out from his jacket and blinked. Everything around them was barren. "I think it's over."

Hikari too looked up and found that everything was calm was again. The sounds of fury from the tornado were no more. She glanced briefly at Daisuke then hugged him tightly as if grateful for his bold move. "You were right. We are okay. Thank you."

He froze for a moment and hugged her back. "You're welcome." Once they broke apart, he climbed off the girl and helped her to her feet. "I don't think I'll have to go back to the gym for a while. This place really knows how to give you a work out."

"Yeah, I guess so." She paused a moment and dusted off her skirt. "So, where to now?"

"Wherever doesn't have any more disasters. I think I could use a bit to eat after all that. How about you?"

Hikari smiled. "Sounds good to me."

Together the two headed off to find a safe place to set camp for awhile, both silently anticipating what may be thrown their way next.

* * *

Author's Notes: This story keeps spinning more and more out of control. I did not picture a fight between Miyako and Ami like that. But I guess it was bound to happen. I think of my created characters so far, I like Ami the least. There's just something about her…. Hopefully she does some growing but right now she is getting on my nerves. I didn't even mean for her to be unlikable. She's just a little too whiny for my taste. 

Well I hope you enjoyed my newest chapter. It's going to continue to intensify especially since the Power Stones have been located. You can also expect a bit more romance to pop up every now and then as pasts are soon to be revealed.

Thank you reading and reviewing!


	22. Conflicts of the Heart

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 22  
Conflicts of the Heart  
By  
Sailor Janus

Tani groaned as she squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. She couldn't remember the last time her head pulsed like it was that moment. All she knew was that she did not want to remain awake.

"Don't tell me you plan on sleeping the day away," a rather familiar choice said in amusement.

"Taichi?" Her brown eyes flew open to find the young man in question smirking down at her.

"You okay?"

Tani slowly sat up and winced as she touched her forehead. "I-I think so….other than the feeling as though I'm going to fall flat on my face again."

"You're probably just dehydrated," Iori explained and he walked towards the pair and offered the young woman a bottle of water. "This should help at least."

"Thank you," she replied, accepting the bottle. Tani gritted her teeth as she tried to unscrew the cap but after a second try Taichi snatched it from her.

"Let me give you a hand." With one quick twist the brunette boy had successfully opened the bottle and handed it back to Tani who had been staring at him the whole time.

"Um, thanks." She thirstily drank it down and it was only when half the bottle was gone that others approached her as well and sat down. The young woman glanced between the newcomers and wiped her mouth with a sigh. "I guess I have some serious explaining to do now," she muttered before taking another gulp.

"To put it simply, yep." Yamato nodded as he studied her with interest. "So you have not one but two sisters here?"

"WHAT?" Tani sputtered as she spat out a mouthful of water spraying Taichi in the process.

"HEY! I know I'm dirty, but I don't need a shower that badly," The young man shouted in outrage.

Flustered, she shot up and started wiping away the water from his face with her hands, unaware of how close they were. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Did I get you in the eye?"

"Um… N-no." Her target mumbled.

Sora exchanged glances with Rosa and smiled. "At least you should be relieved that both of your sisters are safe."

Tani blinked and lowered her head. "Yeah. Um, about that…. What did you say my other sister's name is?"

Yamato frowned. "What do you mean what your other sister's name is? Don't you know?"

"Just give me the damn name!"

Rosa shrank back in horror from the wild expression in Tani's brown eyes. She glanced towards Sora who seemed just as stunned.

"Akina. Her name is Asukai Akina," the blonde replied after a long pause. Everyone fell into an awkward silence before Tani launched to her feet and started off. "Where are you going?"

"I-I….can't stay here…..I-I have to go," she said frantically before coming to a halt after realizing that there was no logical place she could go. Instead Tani sank to the ground and covered her face with her hands as she tried to shield away her tears. "Damn it. Damn it!" Once again she was trapped and helpless to do anything to change the predicament she was in. _I can't bring them together. Hell, I can't even pull myself together. This group keeps falling apart just like my own stupid family. Maybe I deserved to be banished after all._

"Tani?" Taichi walked over to her and sat by her side. He hesitated a moment and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Can of worms, huh."

"Or something like that."

He nodded and drew a deep breath. "I know how siblings can be. You just want to protect them the best you can and feel helpless when you can't."

"It's not like that, Tai."

"Then what is it?"

She sniffled and bowed her head even lower. "I failed them. I couldn't keep the peace between everyone. I didn't see what was going on until it was too late. And in the end, everyone paid the price."

"Tani."

Tani whipped her head around to face him. Hot tears streaming down her cheeks. "This is all my fault. All of it. It's because of me that we are stuck here right now. Because of me the crests were stolen and the digimon are gone. I just wasn't strong enough to go against her and as a result we are all paying dearly." She shook her head sadly and wiped her eyes. _I failed. If only I hadn't said what I did…_

"You're just being too hard on yourself."

"No, I'm not. Don't you understand? This isn't about you. It's about me, Akina, and Ami. I don't know what she is planning by dragging you and the others here but if there is something that she wants, she will get it."

Taichi blinked in confusion. "Who are you talking about?"

"Shina. Asukai Shina. She is the cause of all this."

"So you have three sisters?"

"Triplets."

"Triplets? You mean-"

"My little sisters are triplets." Tani sat up and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "Well they aren't so little anymore, but they are younger than me. Akina, Ami, and Shina. We each have 'a and i' in our names to represent love. I guess you could say my parents are romantics at heart." She laughed softly then buried her face in her hands. "I couldn't stop her."

Taichi said nothing and wrapped his arms around her from behind. After a long moment he finally spoke. "Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to start trying now."

"How?" She shivered slightly despite the warmth filling her.

"I don't know, but there has to be a way. You just gotta find it."

Tani closed her eyes as she considered his words. A moment later they snapped open. "That's it. I have to bring everyone together. Then maybe we can make Shina see that we are not against her. That we all still care about her despite all the horrible things she has done. My blaming her and even myself is wrong. If anything all of us were at fault in one way or another. Oh, Tai, thank you!" She kissed him on the cheek and quickly pulled away feeling the heat rise to her face. "I can do this. If we all work together we can overcome whatever may happen next. I just need to get Akina and Ami to agree and everything should be fine again."

Suddenly and iridescent glow enveloped around Tani. She gasped, breaking away from Taichi and looked fearfully at him. "What's happening to me?"

He said nothing as the light became brighter. Just then the other Chosen came racing towards them and skidded to a halt in bewilderment a few feet from their companions.

"What the hell is going on?" Yamato exclaimed as Taichi looked at him dumbfounded. Before anyone else could say a word, the light died away revealing a very confused Tani.

"What…" Sora threw her hands over her mouth as she gaped at the girl's newest appearance. Rather than the drab mud-covered gray everyone else was dressed in, Tani's clothing were in color. Her tank top was in a sea foam green as well as her fingerless gloves. The off shoulder t shirt she wore over it was in indigo and her shorts were an aqua blue shade trimmed in violet at the cuffs. Matching blue sneakers with sea foam green and indigo colored socks clad her feet. What was even more odd was over her deep dark chocolate brown hair was a sheer sea foam and indigo colored scarf like bandana and a pair of purple goggles.

"You have goggles. Does that make you the new leader since Taichi declared himself unworthy?" Iori questioned after giving her a once over.

"I-I don't know." Tani pulled out her Power Stone and stared in shock at the fact that it too was now indigo in color. "But this can't be right…. Harmony was white not indigo. What is going on here?"

"Did she activate her Power Stone or something?" Rosa inquired to no one in particular. "I want to be in color too!"

"One would think so." Iori said then addressed Tani. "Did you say Harmony? Does that mean your crest is Harmony?"

"Yes." Tani nodded then glanced around realizing that someone was missing. "Where's Taichi?"

The others looked as well, but he was gone.

* * *

_This is all my fault. Stupid crest. I didn't know how to use it and now I've even dragged Koushiro in the muck with me. Why did I have to get that stupid crest anyway? I don't even like copper. _Akina narrowed her green eyes as she pulled her Power Stone out of her pocket and stared at it for a moment, debating on whether or not throwing the gray stone away. She sighed deeply and returned it to the safe confines of her pocket. She closed her eyes and leaned against the cool truck of the frozen tree. _Not only am I weak, I'm a coward too. Can this get any better?_

"Akina!"

The raven haired girl gasped nearly cracking her head against the tree and she jerked in shock. Her head flew up and she found four anxious faces staring down at her. "What do you want? Can't you see that I want to be alone?"

Mimi bunched her hands into fists at the girl's rudeness but forced a smile as she asked sweetly. "We were just wondering if the names Ami and Tani were of any importance to you?"

Akina fell silent, her face paling to an almost deathly white as she became statue stiff. She couldn't even remember if she was still breathing as the two names echoed in her head over and over again. She opened her mouth, visibly shaken as her vision blurred. "What are you talking about?"

"Takeru received some email from Ken. It appears that our friends have found them and interestingly enough, you all have the same last name so are you three siblings or something?" Michael raised an eyebrow at the girl then shook his head. "Look I can understand the drama act if you're worried about them, but they're both okay. So why don't we call it truce and work together in finding a way out of here with our skin still attached?"

"I didn't mean to act like such a bitch but if it wasn't for me, then none of this would have happened." She paused a moment and closed her eyes. "Ever since the beginning I was a failure. If it wasn't for Tani and Ami…. and yes, they are my sisters."

"Did you get into a fight?" Catherine tilted her head as she clasped her hands together. "I'm sure everything will be okay. I mean, I doubt anyone could hold a grudge for over three years."

"Don't count on it."

The French girl blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. It's not important." Akina rose to her feet and pushed her bangs out of her eyes in frustration. She frowned at the group and inquired, "Where's Koushiro?"

"He stormed off after yelling at all of us, except maybe Catherine." Takeru shrugged and ran a hand through his blonde locks with a dejected look in his eyes. "It was a real mess."

"So none of you know where he is?" She stared at the apologetic faces and growled. "If anything happens to him, I'm going to kill her!" Akina spun on her heel and just as she was about to take off into the iced forest she stopped and turned back to the other Chosen. "Well, are you coming? He is your friend after all."

Michael gaped at the girl as he slowly nodded. "Uh yeah. Right behind you…. Just a bit further away."

"Now what's wrong?"

"Who are you threatening to kill?" Mimi put her hands on her hips and took a step defensively in front of the others.

"We don't have time for this! We need to find Koushiro fast! Please!"

"Not until you tell us what the HELL is going on!"

Akina however shook her head as she clenched her teeth together. "If you don't go with me then I'll just go alone. But I'll warn you, if you don't trust me, we may never get out of here alive. I know more of what is going on here then all of you do put together."

"Then tell us, damn it!" Mimi tossed her hair behind her shoulder and swore loudly to the sky. "Please, give us some clue of what the hell is going on because all we were told was to find some stupid stones that Gennai had referred to as Power Stones that ironically have our crests etched on them. We know absolutely nothing else of what is going on here, why the digimon are gone, or where the hell Daisuke and Hikari are." Tears flooded her brown eyes as she ground her hands into fists. "So please help us figure out this puzzle because nothing makes sense."

"I can only tell you what I can," she whispered after a moment of silence. "I don't know why you all were dragged into this. The only thing I can really figure out is that we are supposed to be eliminated. How? I don't know that either. I also know that the danger is very real and unless we do something this won't be the last time that we'll be fighting for our lives. All I can do now is apologize and find Koushiro with or without you."

"But you do know who we are dealing with, don't you." Michael said in an accusing tone.

Akina closed her eyes as she nodded. "Yes, I do. It's my sister, Asuaki Shina."

"Your sister?" Catherine gasped as she covered her mouth. "How awful. Why would she want to hurt everyone?"

"I-I don't know. Tani tried to reason with her…." She drew a sharp breath and shook her head sharply. "Enough of this! Come on!" Without a second word, Akina took off into the icy forest with the others trailing close behind.

* * *

Ken grabbed Miyako and shielded her with his body as the hole they were trapped in continued to collapse around them, raining thick clumps of dirt down as they scrambled for safety. Unfortunately there was no place to go so all they could do was huddle and hope that they would come out okay in the end.

"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!" Ami cried into Jyou's shirt as he gritted his teeth.

"Just…. don't blow your nose on it please. It's dirty enough as it is," he muttered between coughs.

"If I didn't need a shower before I sure as hell will need one when this is over with," Wallace said next to Ken and Jyou.

"It's getting hard to breath in here," Miyako winced, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Just, don't think about it," her boyfriend replied, holding on to her tighter. Ken wanted to protect Miyako the best he could. He had already lost his older brother and more than likely Wormon as well. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her as well. _I'm not going to lose anyone else. Not again. Not ever again._ His mind immediately drifted to his best friend. And once again, a strangling feeling flooded his chest. Daisuke had to be somewhere. He couldn't be dead. Ken refused to allow that possibility to exist in his head. Hikari too had to be okay. Even though she wasn't his best friend, she was still like family. All of the Chosen had become his family. Maybe it was one of those things where fighting death against all odds truly brought one together. He didn't really know, but it did help that despite being from different backgrounds that they could work together as one…. If they had the will to do so.

He closed his eyes and in the back of his mind he could make out a blurry figure in white. He couldn't see their face, but felt as though he knew them.

_"You'll be okay. You'll all be okay in the end."_

"Who-" Ken began, but someone shook his shoulder causing the image to fade away.

"Ken! It's over. Are you okay?"

He opened his eyes and found Miyako staring at him in concern. Her face was covered in dirt, but other than that she looked as though she was never better. "Yeah." Ken glanced at the others and noted that they too were all right. _Was that Osamu?_

Wallace walked over to a large pile of dirt and kicked it. "I think it's high enough that we should be able to climb out of here…..that is if it doesn't collapse on us."

"In that case, the tallest should go first and since I'm the shortest, that leaves the guys," Ami announced cheerfully. She bit her lip as she glanced over the three young men and grinned. "So I guess that would be Ken with Wallace next followed by Jyou."

"Wait, why Ken?" Miyako spun around and folded her arms over her chest.

"Because he's the tallest."

"What does height have to do with anything?"

Ken stepped between the two girls before another fight could break out and shook his head. "I get it. If I get out first, I can help the others out even if the dirt mound collapses."

"Ken…"

"I'll be okay, Miya. I promise," he replied reassuringly. This only caused her to roll her eyes in response.

"Just don't go Daisuke on me."

He chuckled. "Only if you don't go Hikari on me."

Wallace blinked at the pair and scratched his head. "Um….. what's wrong with Hikari? I mean I already know Daisuke can act like Mr. Confidence with a bad reckless streak, but what about her?"

Jyou shook his head. "We'll have to explain that one later, but let's just say that she has nearly given her brother a heart attack a few times. We're still unsure why it happens to begin with. Doesn't happen often but when it does, stay far away from Taichi."

"Okay, if you don't want to tell me then just say so!" The American glared coolly at the group and folded his arms over his chest in anger.

Ken walked up to him with his hands out in a peaceful gesture. "It's not like that, Wallace. Hikari…. How do I put this… She has disappeared at least twice that we know of and ended up in what she calls the World of Darkness. We aren't sure why or what the place wants with her only that it may have something to do with the fact that she is the Chosen of Light. She never talked about it, but we could tell that it haunts her and because of it Hikari doesn't talk much about how she really feels. At least that is what we suspect. Truthfully, no one really knows."

Wallace fell silent for a moment. "So your reference about Hikari to Miyako is that you don't want her to disappear?"

"Exactly."

"Oh."

"Um, that's nice and all but can we please get out of here before something else happens?" Ami pleaded, twisting her hands nervously.

Ken nodded and climbed up the dirt pile, pausing a few times to catch his balance. Carefully he rose to his tiptoes and gripped the edge of the hole then pulled himself out. Chunks of dirt shattered in his grasp and quickly he clawed at the ground for a better handhold, his feet moving up the wall of compacted soil as he went. _I can do this. I will help save everyone. _His thoughts flashed to Osamu, Worman, his parents, Miyako, Daisuke, Hikari, and the other Chosen as well as their digimon partners and all the digimon that he had harmed during his time as the Digimon Kaiser. _I WILL BE REDEEMED!_

Suddenly he found himself able to escape from the hole as a bright light encompassed his body. He stared down at his hands, gaping in shock at the glow, which died away a moment later. Ken frowned in confusion over what had happened then turned to help the others out. Just as he leaned over the hole and pulled Miyako up with the help of Wallace and Jyou from below, he found her staring at him in complete bewilderment.

"What…. Ken…. You're…." She stuttered as he looked at her in confusion.

"What? Miyako, you're acting as though I grew another head."

"Blue!" She blurted out still in shock.

Ken glanced down and gasped at the sight of his clothes. What was once gray was now a blue-gray button down shirt layered over darker blue shirt with black pants. His shoes too were the same blue gray shade. His tag however, was still clear. "I'm wearing color?" He pulled out his Power Stone and frowned at the fact that it was now a brilliant black. "What is going on here?"

"Hey! We'd like to get out of this hole too you know!" Jyou's voice boomed from the bottom of the hole.

The coupled exchanged glances and started helping the other up as well who each wore similar expressions of surprise.

"Well….. this is unexpected," Wallace said in a low whistle. "So, I'm guessing you must have activated your Power Stone somehow."

Ken nodded, his blue eyes still wide with disbelief. "I don't know how I did it though. Maybe this is what Gennai meant?"

"Don't know, but hey it's a great start." He shrugged, "So, now what?"

Just as Jyou opened his mouth to reply, he was pelt with a piece of ice. "Hey! Who threw that?"

"No, one. Look," Ami cried out as she pointed to a large cloud that was looming over them. "I think its hail."

"That would be a very accurate guess so um, run?" Wallace gritted his teeth in pain as another chunk hit him in the shoulder.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Ken nodded as they took off in a frantic race from the storm cloud.

* * *

A light breeze blew through Daisuke's hair as he finished packing up his bag. Food was indefinitely a good idea he decided as he glanced back at a calmer Hikari who was sitting quietly on the ground a few feet from him. The fear that was previously in her brown eyes from the tornado was a distant memory and one he would like to stay as far away as possible. _Now if only I can keep her safe and figure out what the hell is going on here. _He touched his head and frowned at the lack of goggles. For some reason he missed them at that moment as if they could reassure him that it would all come out all right in the end.

"That was nice. Thank you, Daisuke." Hikari smiled at him as he zipped up his backpack. She pushed a strand of hair from her face and stretched. "I hope we're not going to have to run for our lives again. I think it's starting to wear both of us out."

"We can only do what we can and hope for the best," he shrugged.

She stared at him for a moment and slowly nodded.

"What?"

"I don't know…. There's just something off about what you said but I can't quite put my finger on it." Hikari bit her lip and stood up. "It may just be my imagination, after all I'm the one with the screwed up memories."

Daisuke frowned for a moment as he too rose to his feet. He knew what it was and in the back of his mind he could hear his voice dripping with overconfidence cheerfully exclaiming that they could get through anything thrown at them. That enthusiastic voice seemed so far away now. He grinned at Hikari and chuckled, "Don't know what it could be, but it might be best if we continue on…. That is if you want to."

"Nothing better to do." She glanced at him a moment and started off slowly as if wanting him to take the lead. "I don't really know where to go though."

"We'll find someplace-" he began when a loud rumble of thunder interrupted him. Daisuke groaned as rain soon followed at a rather moderate pace. "Damn it. Given this place's record with storms, we better find shelter before a disaster hits like a flash flood or something."

"Right." Hikari nodded, wrapping her arms around herself.

"If only we could find' he mumbled searching their surroundings for a possible place to keep them dry a brief moment later his face lit up as something caught his eyes. "Got it! There're some mountains not too far from here. Maybe there will be a cave."

"What if we slip on the rocks climbing up?"

Daisuke shook his head as he smiled at her. "Don't worry. I won't let you fall. Come on." He took Hikari's hand at started off through the fieldtowards the mountain before she could even react.

Quickly the pair raced through the rain as it poured down upon them harder and harder with each step they took. After several tries and searches they finally found a secluded cave. Unfortunately by the time they made it inside they were completely drenched.

The thundering raindrops beat against the exterior of the damp cave. Rainwater dripped from their hair and fell upon moist, pale faces and saturated clothing as they panted heavily from their race from the storm as the pair collapsed tiresomely to the ground. They took off their backpacks, leaned numbly against the wall next to each other trying to catch their breaths.

"That wasn't exactly my idea of a good time." Daisuke wiped his face and sighed heavily.

Hikari shivered as she huddled herself into a tight ball in attempts to keeps warm. "At least we're out of the storm."

"Yeah, but we're totally soaked to the bone." The teenaged boy ran a hand through his wet locks and grimaced. He glanced towards his shivering companion at his side and quickly took off his jacket. "You're freezing. Hopefully this will help."

Hikari stared in disbelief as he offered her his jacket. "But you'll freeze too."

"Take it. I can deal."

"But-"

"Take it, Hikari."

She bit her lip and dropped her gaze to the ground for a moment before accepting the jacket. She hesitantly pulled it on. "Thank you."

Daisuke folded his arms over his chest and nodded. "I'd do it anytime."

Hikari smiled and moved a bit closer to him. Daisuke looked at her in surprise and she shrugged. "Combining our body heat should help as well. There's no sense in you freezing to death if you insist on helping me."

He glanced thoughtfully at her as she snuggled against him. "Good point."

A smile crossed her lips as she gazed up at his face. She bit her lip as a blush creep up on her cheeks. "Daisuke?"

"Hm?" He turned his face towards her and paused. They stared at each other for a moment and the next thing he knew Hikari's eyes were closed and her soft lips were pressed against his in a gentle kiss as he froze in complete bewilderment. Any thoughts racing through his mind had come to a screeching halt. Suddenly the girl's eyes flew open and she pushed away.

"Oh God, I'm sorry," Hikari covered her mouth and bowed her head apologetically, refusing to look him in the face.

"Hikari-"

"No! I-I don't know…. I-I shouldn't have… you're in love with someone else!" She pressed her hands against the sides of her hand as if it were in pain. "I-I don't have a right to kiss you." Hikari climbed to her shaky feet and pulled off the jacket. "This isn't right. I'm sorry, Daisuke."

Daisuke stumbled to his feet, his mind racing, and tried to reach out to her but he was too late. She had already bolted out of the cave and back into the thundering storm. "HIKARI!"

* * *

The heavy rain pounded against Hikari's lithe frame as she slipped and skidded, running as quickly as possible from the shelter of the cave. Hot tears gushed from swollen brown eyes and streaked down her cheeks. _I am so stupid. Why did I have to kiss him? Why? What was I thinking? Was I even thinking at all? I have probably just destroyed our friendship and now I'm alone again in a place where no one will find me. I just want things to go back to normal._

Her boots slid against the slick rocks as she briefly lost her footing and fell to her knees. Hikari shoved a fist full of hair from her face and clenched her jaw tightly. She pushed herself back to her feet trying to ignore whatever new bruises were quickly forming and half walked, half ran as the storm increased, whipping her saturated locks in her weather-beaten face.

The despair filled teenager sobbed harder and tripped again, this time catching herself on a thin, brittle tree. She gripped it for a moment and took a few more steps. _Why can't I get him out of my head. I know he's a friend but…he's different. He's different than Nitoni. Why did I have to kiss him? Damn it. Why did I have to screw things up again? I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!_ Suddenly the earth fell out from under her feet and Hikari found herself tumbling as the world turned and shortly became black.

* * *

Author's Notes: I think this is probably one of my most emotion driven chapters so far. I have to say, I think this story is turning out a lot better than I expected. I am especially happy with the scene between Hikari and Daisuke. As you can probably expect, I've been building up to that moment and I think it went pretty well.

I hope you have enjoyed and thank you for reviewing.


	23. Promising Memories

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 23  
Promising Memories  
By  
Sailor Janus

"Taichi?" Tani frowned as she glanced around their surroundings but found no trace of the brunette young man. "Where did he go?"

"You don't think he…." Sora began, exchanging worried glances with her boyfriend.

Yamato sighed and ran a hand over his eyes. "This IS Taichi we're talking about."

"What do you mean?" Tani looked at the pair in confusion. "It has something to do with me doesn't it."

Iori shook his head. "In one form, yes. You see, he started it with the leader being the one who wears goggles and well, I supposed since he had been so adamant about not deserving to be the leader that the Digital World must have chosen you to take over."

"Oh, no. That's not what I want at all. I don't want to be the leader. I don't know the first thing about leadership!"

"But you do have a pair of goggles," Rosa pointed out.

Tani looked up then quickly pulled them off. "No. I-I can't wear these. Someone else take them… please. Just take them." She held them out to the other Chosen but no one made a move to accept them. She whimpered then replaced them over her bandana with a sigh. "Fine. But I didn't ask for this."

"You are the only one among us in color." The Mexican girl folded her arms over her chest and made a face. "I just better not get pink."

"You probably won't. Hikari's Crest of Light was pink," Sora smiled kindly thinking back to Taichi's younger sister during their first adventures in the Digital World.

"But my crest was white and now it's indigo," Tani reminded them as she pulled out her Power Stone and made a face at it. "I think this is all going to give me a very bad headache."

The red head scowled in thought. "You do have a point which means mine might not be red anymore."

Yamato scowled at the group as he folded his arms over his chest. "This just keeps getting more confusing the further along we get. If your crest changed colors then what exactly does that mean?"

"We may not get any answers until we find Hikari's memories or figure out what exactly is going on here," Iori commented. "But I think our best choice would be to find Taichi. Splitting up will only make matters worse."

Tani starred at the Kendo expert for a moment before she finally nodded. "Alright. Then let's go." She paused a moment before starting off towards a grouping of trees as the others trailed behind her.

* * *

_What am I doing?_ Taichi frowned as a strong breeze blew his thick bangs out of his eyes. He clenched his jaw for a moment then shook his head. He looked up to the sky and sighed. "So I guess I got my wish, huh? Tani is the new leader. I guess that just makes me well, nothing." He couldn't determine how he actually felt about being replaced. Taichi knew he had given up his role as the leader to Daisuke many years ago, but there was a small part of him that still took pride in it because if he wasn't the leader, then who was he? 

"It's not her fault. I can't blame her. She'd probably make a better leader anyway." He sat down in the thick grass and snorted. "Besides, I've failed everyone. I couldn't find my sister and Daisuke, I suck at keeping the group safe, and I have done absolutely nothing to help our situation. I am a horrible leader!"

Taichi's mind drifted towards Tani and he flinched. He knew his leaving had probably hurt her the most but what else was he supposed to do? Grin, shake her hand, and wish her good luck? He was a fool and he knew it. He closed his eyes and visualized the first time he had met her. Even with the ice cream smeared on her face, she still could put him in a head spin. So what was he afraid of?

"Damn it."

"_Why are you so hard on yourself, Tai? You beat yourself up too much."_

"I know I just…. I don't know what to do. I-I can't get you out of my head."

_"Under all that hair? Even when you thinned it out a bit it's a still bush!"_

"Hey! I don't make fun of your hair or your UFO Catcher collection."

_"Half of which you won for me."_

Taichi nodded as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

_"So what are you afraid of, Tai? You found me again."_

"I know but…"

_"Hikari will be okay. We'll find her and Daisuke. Just let me help you. I know you're scared and it's okay, but please don't walk away."_

"Tani, you don't understand."

"Understand what?"

Taichi opened his eyes and found himself looking into Tani's deep brown gaze. He opened his mouth to respond but nothing would come out.

"Are you okay, Taichi?" She looked at him in concern as the other Chosen came to a stop next to her.

"F-fine. I-I'm fine," he replied quickly.

Yamato frowned at him but Sora step forward and put her hands on her hips in annoyance. "Please show a little more responsibility and not disappear like that again. We don't need you getting yourself killed over a stupid thing like goggles. If you want to be the leader then just say it. None of us are going to stop you."

"No, I'm…. Tani would be a better leader." Taichi smiled at the young woman in question and nodded. "Congratulations."

Tani furrowed her brow at him. "Taichi…."

"No, I'm good. So, why don't we go look for my sister now; I mean if that's okay, with you, Tani."

She blinked at him and shoved a strand of hair from her eyes. "I…" Like lightening she tore the goggles from her head and threw them to the ground. "I'm not doing it. Not if you're going to act like such an asshole, Yagami Taichi! So forget it!" Tani spun on her heel and marched away leaving the others to stare at the discarded goggles.

Sora covered her face with her hands as if she were on the verge of either tears or a rage filled outburst. "IDIOTS! BOTH OF YOU!" She glared at both Taichi and Tani then snatched up the goggles. "I don't know what the hell is or was going on between you two but grow up because quite frankly neither of your are acting responsible enough to bear the title of leader."

"Like you and Yamato have really been acting much like couple." The Japanese brunette female sent an icy look towards the red head. "There is so much distance you could put a country the size of Russia between you two. So before you go on judging others, look at yourself."

Rosa glanced edgily at Iori and whispered. "This is getting really ugly."

He slowly nodded in agreement but remained silent.

Sora however froze then turned to her boyfriend and shoved him. "Grow some feelings, you jerk!" Without another word she threw the goggles in Taichi's face and ran off.

Yamato shifted his gaze towards Tani and blinked as the color on her clothes began to flicker and she sunk to the ground and cried.

Taichi too noticed and raced towards the sobbing girl. "Tani! Wait, I-I'm sorry." He knelt down beside her and held out the goggles. "You- Your color keeps fading in and out."

She looked at him and sniffled as she rubbed at her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I think at least for you, that since your strength is wavering so is your Power Stone's. You did say it was Harmony, right?"

"Yes."

Taichi ran a hand through his hair and snorted. "Well I think I kinda killed that in our happy little group, but that doesn't mean that it can't be fixed."

She stared at him for a moment and threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Tai."

He hugged her back. "No prob. Let's go find Sora before it's too late and she gets herself into some serious trouble."

"Right." They stood up and turned to gather up their group and found that it wasn't just missing one person, but two.

"Shit. Yamato, not you too," Taichi grumbled then turned towards Iori and Rosa who were quietly sitting in the grass as if unsure of what to do next. "I'm sure you two know the drill by now."

"Try to find them before anyone gets killed? Yep, I know that one by heart." The Mexican girl nodded as she climbed to her feet. "Maybe tracking devices would be more beneficial next time around."

"They were installed in the digivices, but they don't seem to work," Iori said calmly.

Tani bit her lip and shook her head. "Let's just go. They couldn't have gone too far." Once again, the Chosen started out on another search for their missing team each hoping that everyone would be alright in the end.

* * *

Koushiro collapsed heavily against an icy tree and drew him knees to his chest. He couldn't remember feeling so cold before but at that moment he swore he was on the verge of frostbite. _I thought I was supposed to be the smartest one here. So why do I feel so stupid?_ He knew his intelligence was a like a double-edged sword. In one way it worked for him, by allowing him a large amount of knowledge to aid himself and others with. In another form however, it was an enemy. Some people didn't appreciate the fact that he always had the highest marks, which often lead to bullies trying to "convince" him to dumb down. Even with Taichi and Yamato watching his back, he still could not avoid the harassment. His parents even suggested putting him into another school, but Koushiro had refused. Despite the black eyes, bruises, and lost money he still wanted to prove that he could be normal. Even if he was adopted, and had a high IQ, he could be normal. All he wanted was to be normal. He even tried joining the soccer club and did well for awhile until a bad fall caused him to pull a few ligaments in his knee putting him out of commission for months. 

After that he turned back to his computer. He didn't rely on it as badly before Taichi, Yamato, and Sora had gone away to college but after…. Koushiro didn't really feel like he fit in with the younger Chosen and therefore retreated to his laptop and the world of the Internet. As fate would have it, one dull evening in a forum for a video game that he couldn't recall, he had met Akina. There had been some argument about the story line resulting he and Akina against five other players. After the heated debate, the duo had won their opponents' understanding.

He couldn't remember when they started instant messaging, but despite whatever they talked about or why, Koushiro found he could forget whatever was going on in the real world. It was an escape he very much enjoyed. And even though they had never revealed much about themselves, they did form a rather strong friendship that seemed on the verge of possibly becoming more until the fortunate or perhaps unfortunate day they finally met in person.

It was an odd event because they were talking about Prom and Akina mentioned that she had no one to go with so he jokingly suggested taking her. Then everything fell into place and Koushiro found himself driving to Kyoto to pick up a girl he had never seen in person to take to her Prom. It was such an insane idea, and he still questioned why they had agreed on it but nevertheless, he showed up at her house and found himself in shock at her striking appearance. Dressed in a simple green spaghetti strap gown with her dark hair swept up, he pondered why he was standing there and not some popular school jock with a million dollar smile and shining new car that did not smell like mothballs as his old clunky one did.

Of course that car's life was rather short lived. In fact it was the reason why they never made it to the dance and instead found themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere for hours with a dying cell phone. It was very embarrassing on Koushiro's part, but nonetheless, they managed to make the most of it with conversation and before the tow truck had arrived, they shared their first kiss.

Heat flooded the red head's cheeks and rose to his ears as he reflected on Akina and that kiss. She was different from the other girls. She didn't have an obsession with clothes and make up, yet when she wanted to she could be just as girly as the best of them. If anything she was more of a paradox; a bit of this and that. It was right then he realized that he hated being alone yet always backed himself into a corner and avoided anyone that may want to associate with him. If he was so lonely, then why did he constantly hide?

Koushiro blinked and slapped a hand over his eyes. "Some Bearer of Knowledge I am. I can't even figure out what _I'm_ feeling. I can't just hide behind my brain anymore and shut everyone out. Maybe if I didn't, Akina wouldn't have disappeared in the first place and we wouldn't be here right now. I can honestly call myself an idiot for avoiding everyone." He drew a breath and suddenly felt warmer. "Damn, I'm going to kill myself if I keep this up. All I do is focus on work and ignore everything else. I AM a workaholic, but not by choice but for an escape…what the hell is wrong with me? Normal people escape from work not to it." He closed his eyes for a moment as he reflected on his childhood with the other Chosen and their adventures in the Digital World. "When did everything change? When did it all fall apart?"

In the back of his mind he could see his twenty-three year old self, miserable and slaving away at his computer with a strong cup of coffee at his side and a large stack of paper next to the cup. He hadn't seen the others since the last reunion four years ago. His soul focus was work and nothing more. Koushiro pursed his lips as his eyes darkened with realization. "I really was going to work myself to death. Shit. Shit! No, it needs to change. It's got to change. I'm going to change. I have to!"

"Well, it looks like you did, but since when did you start wearing yellow?"

Koushiro's eyes snapped open. He spun his head and looked at Michael with a bewildered expression on his face. "What?"

"You-you're wearing color." Mimi gaped with the same stunned expression on her face. "Just how the hell did you do that?"

"It's true, Shiro," Akina whispered as she approached the others with Takeru and Catherine a few feet behind her.

The French girl cried out in surprise at the sight of the red head and unconsciously grabbed Takeru's wrist. "Oh my! He is wearing color!"

Koushiro glanced down in curiosity and nearly swore again. Rather than gray his button down short-sleeved shirt was now in a yellow-orange shade with a solid yellow long sleeved shirt under it. His gloves as well as his pants were a deep red-orange that almost matched his hair while his sneakers were mainly yellow and the same red-orange shade. Oddly, Koushiro's red hair now looked brighter with a slight copper tone to it. "What…How…. Huh?"

"Our thoughts exactly," Michael snickered.

"If he's wearing color, then why aren't the rest of us?" Mimi glanced at the other Chosen who shrugged in response.

"Maybe it has to do with his Power Stone?" Takeru suggested.

"That's it!" Koushiro fished the stone from his pocket and nearly dropped it. "Um, this is odd. It's yellow. My crest was purple, remember?"

"Could something have changed it?" Akina bit her lip as she shook her head. "It doesn't matter right now. At least you're safe."

"So, now what?" The American inquired, shoving his hands in his pockets. He frowned in thought then snapped his fingers. "Food!"

Mimi raised an eyebrow then laughed. "Yeah, why not. For once we're not running from anything that can kill us. Might as well make the most of it."

The others agreed and found a place to rest at deciding to take advantage of the peace they had for that moment. How long it would last? They didn't care to consider it until they were face with danger once again.

* * *

The frozen assault continued from above as the Chosen fled for shelter, but unfortunately they couldn't find any. Wallace glared up at the storm cloud, fighting the urge to flick it off. "This is insane. It's like an ice machine exploded in the sky or something." 

"I HATE IT HERE!" Ami shrieked as a chunk of ice the size of a golf ball crashed into her shoulder.

"We know," Miyako said dryly as Ken shielded her from a larger piece of ice directed for her head.

"Keep low," he growled in warning as she stared at him.

"Right."

Jyou winced as a few chunks of hail hit him in the back. "I'm going to need a long vacation after this."

"If not a trip to the emergency room," Miyako cracked.

"That's not funny!" Ami hissed as she spun around to face the lavender haired girl.

Wallace however jumped between the two, gritting his teeth as the assault of hail worsened. "No more cat fights until we find a cave or something!"

The two girls silently nodded in agreement as they once again began their race from the storm.

"Why do I put up with this shit?" The American grumbled to himself as another large chunk of ice slammed into the back of his head. He swore loudly and increased his pace. _Why am I always tormented no matter what? Is this my Fate? I mean I know I'm the Chosen of Fate…or was but hell, this is insane. _Wallace clenched his jaw as he recalled his parents' divorce when he was nine resulting in his move to New York. The only real good thing that he could actually remember was his digimon, Gumimon. Even when Chocomon had disappeared, Gumimon had always been there for him. School was constantly hard because he and his mom didn't have much in the way of money and could pretty much have been considered lower class. This eventually lead to fights at school since Wallace was usually considered different which going through middle school, was not necessarily a good thing. His eyes flashed a moment as a memory he wished to retain came rushing at him like a charging bull.

Rather than ice hitting his head, it was an empty soda pop can. Sticky drops of cola dripped from his hair as he spun around and brushed his hand against the back of his dirty blonde locks. Wallace narrowed his eyes at the small group of snickering boys but remained silent.

"Hey, Wally! You gonna cry now and run home to Mommy?"

Wallace turned away, trying to ignore the pain, both physically and emotionally. He knew he'd never be popular. He'd always be a low class nothing. Sure his mom tried to do her best, but the income just wasn't there. She always told him that was fate.

_No, fate should be what we make of it, not what is handed to us because everything eventually changes. If my fate is to be a loser, I'll be damned if I stay one. I'm not going to be ridiculed anymore._

He snatched a large chunk of ice from the ground; completely oblivious to the other Chosen trying their best to dodge the assaulting hail and hurled it into the air. "I'm not going to be bullied! You hear me? I'm changing my destiny starting now and there isn't a damn thing anyone can do about it!"

"Oh no….he's lost it," Jyou muttered as he gaped at the infuriated blonde teenaged boy.

Suddenly a vibrant glow erupted around Wallace as the others watched in bewilderment and slowly died away revealing a still irate American dressed oddly in colors rather than the bland gray. His hooded zip-up jacket was now jet black. Under it was a deep burgundy shirt that matched the rolled up bandana wrapped across his forehead allowing thick locks of golden blonde hair to fall around his face from over the bandana. Medium shade blue jeans and black sneakers completed the teen's look as he continued shouting to the sky.

"Um, Wallace?"

"YOU HEAR ME!" The American paused and looked at the other Chosen then shrank back sheepishly. Um, I guess I went a bit overboard. Uh, sorry."

"Not that, look at yourself," Miyako snapped as she looked between him and her boyfriend. "So far, it looks like the two of you have figured out somehow to activate your Power Stones."

Wallace glanced down at his clothes and blinked. "Whoa. Um, maybe I should get pissed off more often." He pulled his Power Stone from his pocket and made a face. "Wait. I thought my crest was silver. Guess I really AM losing it."

Ken looked at Wallace's burgundy stone as he held it out to the others then withdrew his own. "You're not losing it. Something strange is going on."

"Like all of this isn't strange enough," Jyou scoffed.

Miyako rolled her eyes. "This coming from a guy with a digital monster."

"Duh. It stopped hailing too," Ami snorted bitterly as she folded her arms over her chest. "I say the sooner we get out of the place the better."

Ken looked up at the now serene sky and frowned. "That is a good point though I think I'd rather know what's going on here first."

The others glanced up as well and with a silent agreement headed off in a search for answers.

* * *

Hikari squinted as she stepped out into the sun. The once lively park was quiet and peaceful. She moved her gaze through the tall trees, sand filled playgrounds, and creaky benches, but there was no one in sight. Hikari sighed and refocused on the ground. 

Just then soft voices shattered the silence prompting the teenaged girl to snap her head up. She frowned at the lack of sunlight as a small group of people moved closer from the distance, seemingly oblivious to her presence.

"It's not worth fretting over, Daisuke. She's probably just busy," a soft yet deep voice said gently.

"I'm not fretting, Ken. I just…" The other boy hesitated a moment then sighed. "I don't know."

"You're not making sense," a female voice said, her toned slightly agitated.

"He is… Just in his own way," a different male voice snickered.

"Takeru…" the second boy hissed with an annoyed tone.

Hikari gasped at the oddly familiar voices and raced happily towards the group of friends. "Hey!" She giggled completely unaware of their shock-filled faces as she threw her arms around the spiky haired brunette. "I missed you guys."

The boy she was embracing however froze at her affectionate gesture. "Um…. sorry… b-but I think you have me confused for someone else." He looked nervously to his friends.

The lavender haired girl nodded and put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, so why don't you let Daisuke go like a good crazed-fan girl and go home."

Hikari's eyes flew open and she quickly backed away as she studied the groups' faces. "But….what are you talking about? I'm Hikari. You've been looking for me and it's been so long…."

The blonde boy snorted. "That's impossible. Hikari is over there studying for some big test." He pointed to a girl sitting at the picnic tables, her long chestnut brown hair fell in her eyes as she bent down over her textbook in frustration.

"But…" Hikari studied the girl carefully, and frowned as the she began twirling her pencil between her fingers, a habit that Hikari was very well accustomed to when she was agonizing over something. "I'm Yagami Hikari."

"Stop lying and go home," Daisuke said coldly.

Tears welled up in her brown eyes as she stepped backwards. Ken, Miyako, and Takeru all shared equally hurtful looks as they glowered down at her. _Why don't they know who I am? I am the same Yagami Hikari, aren't I?_

Dark raindrops slowly fell from the sky as Hikari sank to her knees. She suddenly felt frigid as the rain became thicker, developing a puddle around her. She closed her eyes and gasped out loud as the murky water engulfed her.

Hikari's eyes fluttered open and she scowled in puzzlement at the hazy atmosphere she was surrounded by. "Where am I?" Limply she climbed to her shaky feet and bit her lip. There was something about the place that made her very uneasy yet it seemed familiar. Just the odd damp, slightly moldy scent was enough to turn her stomach.

She paused as a sensation of being watched flooded throughout her. Slowly she glanced back and found a shadow lurking in the distance. Nervously she stepped back, wishing she could be any place but there.

_"Welcome back,"_ and eerie voice greeted as the shadow slightly shifted.

Hikari drew back even further as thick tar-like water that had appeared from nowhere oozed closer. "I don't belong here."

_"That's not for you to determine. No matter how hard you try, your heart always leads you back."_

"My… heart?" She gaped that the mere thought and furiously shook her head. "No, that's impossible. My heart would never force me to come to such a place….It wouldn't. Couldn't." Her brown eyes flickered as she glanced down, unaware of the water rising higher, swallowing her ankles and moving lazily to her knees. "Could it?"

Sudden flashes of her own tear streaked, pain-filled face flooded her mind. For an instance, she could feel the agony that had coursed through that vision of herself and fell to her knees as she gripped at her head. The mind numbing torture continued until she had completely gone under; lost to the dark waters.

* * *

_What happened? _Daisuke gritted his teeth in frustration as the scene rushed through his head over and over again. He could still taste Hikari's kiss and wondered why he hadn't reacted quicker, especially after she had fled. The icy raindrop fell in his eyes, blinding him momentarily. With a growl he rubbed them away and continued his search for the missing girl. 

_What did she mean by me being in love with someone else? How could she even suspect something as ridiculous… _Daisuke froze as realization hit him like a soccer ball to the gut. "Am I in love with a ghost?" He hadn't seen her in so long, but within that time span, changes had indeed occurred. If it was the past he was in love with, could he even settle for the present? This concept greatly confused him. In some aspect, Hikari was no longer Hikari, but some other form of a girl that still did not know who he and the other Chosen were.

Another concern was that the further along he went, the more he tried to grasp the past. However, those memories seemed to have already slipped away leaving him with fragments of images instead.

Despite what happened however, Daisuke knew he could not give up on the girl even though she may not be the Hikari that he cared for so many years ago. _Or was it so long ago? Ugh, this place is going to drive me mad if I'm not careful. Before I know it I'm going to be placed in a padded room and dining on JELLO for the rest of my life. _

Daisuke came to a pause as the heavy rain lightened slightly allowing him to see a rather crumpled looking form a few feet away lying in a ditch. His breath caught at the sight of very familiar brown hair distorting the face from his view. "HIKARI!"

Like lightening he raced towards the girl, fearing that upon touching her, that her pulse would be as still as a rock. Regardless he skidded to his knees and pushed her tangled hair from her face as he checked for a pulse. "Hikari! Wake up! Come on. You have to be alive! Please wake up! WAKE UP, HIKARI!"

A barely audible moan sounded from chapped lips as her face scrunched slightly. A sharp breath that sounded more like a sob came next as Daisuke touched her shoulder gently. Hikari said nothing as she tensed her body as if afraid.

"Looks like Taichi won't have to kill me after all," he chuckled for a minute then became serious. "What the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten killed! You…." He paused a moment, taking in the unsightly cuts and bruises that marred her flesh, the awkward position she was lying in which he swore she'd be lucky if she hadn't broken anything and her torn clothing. "Damn it, Hikari. Don't EVER do that to me again!" He clenched his jaw, fighting to keep his voice strong at her appearance. _She's alive and that's all that matters. That's all that matters._

"Sorry," Hikari whispered softly, barely audible through the rainstorm that was slowly dissipating. "About everything."

"Don't worry about it. It's okay." Daisuke drew a breath and rose to his feet then carefully scoped the fallen girl into his arms. He ignored his own cuts and bruises from tracking her down and began slowly walking, hoping he could relocate the cave.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry."

"I said don't worry about it."

"But-"

"Please, Hikari. I just…. let's get out of here so we can get those cuts taken care of. I'll be extremely shocked if you hadn't broken something given the position you were in."

Hikari bit her lip and nodded as she pressed herself against Daisuke. "I'm weak. You have to constantly save me and I…"

"Don't worry about it."

"I'm not even worth protecting. I'm not worth….anything."

Daisuke tightened his grip, wishing he could shake some sense into the girl but refrained from doing so. "Hikari, how many times do I have to tell you…"

"I know but…. I don't know. I just don't know. I'm so confused…"

"Hikari, promise me one thing."

She lifted her head briefly to look at Daisuke, but his face was turned away as he started up the rocky slope. "What?"

He hesitated a moment. "Promise me, that you'll never give up no matter what happens. Even if something were to happen to me, you will continue to fight. Promise me."

"Daisuke…"

"Promise me, Hikari."

"I promise, Daisuke. I won't give up. I promise."

"Good." Satisfied he fell silent, too worn out to really consider any witty banter as they continued back towards the cave. Though he couldn't determine why he asked Hikari to make that promise he felt better for it, and that was enough to push him onward.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well this chapter is finally done after a long and exhausting move. I have to say, I like how this one came together. There was quite a bit of surprises, especially regarding pasts, but it definitely made things more interesting. 

I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reviewing.


	24. Unknown Truths

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 24  
Unknown Truths  
By  
Sailor Janus

Tani frowned at the darkening sky as she and the others continued their search for Yamato and Sora. Despite what any of the others may say, she still felt that she was at fault.

"I think once we find them we need to make a promise or something not to separate anymore because this isn't going to do any good running around like well, stray animals." Rosa folded her arms over her chest then looked up towards Iori. He glanced back and silently nodded. She sighed. "Communicating more would be helpful too."

"I do communicate. I just don't babble useless information," he replied simply.

Tani ran a hand over her face as the Mexican girl glared at the taller boy. She blinked a moment then glanced between Taichi and Iori then looked at Rosa. "Wait, Tai. I thought you said you were the tallest, but it looks like you're beat by at least an inch."

The former Chosen leader rolled his eyes as if annoyed at the concept. "I was until Iori shot up like six feet or something. He went from the runt of the group to a giant."

The teenager nodded his head. "My mom wasn't exactly pleased at the idea either considering she went through several months of buy me new clothes since everything was too small."

"He had high waters for weeks sometimes because he wouldn't stop growing," Taichi snickered at the memory. "Daisuke joked that Iori would have to make his own clothing because the stores won't carry anything for twenty foot tall giants."

"He's not twenty feet tall," Rosa scoffed folding her arms. "I used to be short and now I'm the tallest in my class."

"Then you two must have drunk the same water or something because I remember how you were just as short as he was." He shook his head with a laugh. "Well, Hikari definitely can't say the same thing…. She's still the shortest of all of us." Taichi paused a moment and frowned at recalling his little sister. "She better be okay or someone is going to pay dearly."

Tani grabbed his arm, her expression sincere as she tried to catch his gaze. "We'll find her."

"Thanks." A chuckle suddenly erupted from his throat as he broke away. "Hey, Iori? Remember Yamato's reaction the day that his "little brother" had actually out grew him? That was so priceless."

"Rub it in why don't you," a familiar voice said from behind a screen of trees.

The group spun around and found deep blue eyes studying them with mild interest.

"Yamato." Taichi took a step back and watched as the blonde pushed off from the tree he was leaning on and slowly approached him.

"I couldn't find Sora so I decided it'd be best to try looking for her together rather than me running around blindly." He shrugged and raised an eyebrow at them. "Why were you three discussing heights anyway? Were you that bored? Or were you just trying to avoid anything deeper than mindless chatter?"

The trio fell silent and directed their attention anywhere but the inquiring blonde. After a moment Rosa whispered as she stared at the ground. "More than likely the latter."

"Just as I thought. We're all a bunch of idiots. We've been friends for how long yet now we can't think of anything to say. What the hell happened to us?"

"Couldn't tell you even if I knew," Taichi sighed.

Yamato nodded then began walking. "Then we need to figure out how to fix it before something happens that we can't reverse."

"Sounds like a plan." Tani closed her eyes as she bowed her head towards the musician. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I had no right-"

"-But you were right," he cut in. "There is too much distance between Sora and I and…. I don't even know why I'm saying this, but…. I don't even know if it's fixable at this point."

"Only if you want it bad enough."

Yamato blinked then stared at the only Chosen amongst them dressed in color. He shifted his gaze to Taichi and finally smiled as if understanding some hidden meaning in her words. "Well, we have a fired up red head to search for. I guess the deep stuff can be put on hold until then. For now... I'm not the shortest guy, Jyou is."

Taichi smirked as his best friend started off. "Yeah but even Koushiro has you beat height wise. In fact of the guys…only Jyou has you beat in the runt category."

"He wasn't exactly happy about that being the oldest and all," Iori pointed out.

"He showed how _short_ his fuse was rather quickly."

The others groaned at Taichi's bad joke.

Yamato made gagging sounds as he raised his eyebrows at his friend. "Did you raid Daisuke's old joke stash or something? That was horrible!"

"Nah, got it from your not-so-little brother," he shrugged laughing at the renewed glare of his best friend. "Of course _I_ will always be known as Hikari's _Big_ brother."

"Big hair, which fits the ego."

"Hey! My hair isn't nearly as big anymore!" Taichi pouted as he folded his arms over his chest.

"If you say so, Bush Head."

"Dumb Blonde."

"Pocky Junkie."

"Runt."

Tani studied the two friends in disbelief as the exchange continued and finally giggled. Perhaps normalcy was the best remedy. She only had to hope everyone else's relationships would be just as easy a mend as those two were. With that thought in mind, she refocused on finding Sora.

* * *

A soft smile spread across Catherine's lips as she glanced at Takeru who seemed too busily engaged in stuffing his face rather than her. She pushed a strand of hair from her face and took a meek sip of her soup.

"_A lady does not slurp her soup, dear."_ She cringed as the crisp tone of her mother echoed in her head. Suddenly, she no longer felt hungry. Instead, Catherine placed her cup on the ground and stood up.

"What's wrong, Catherine?" Mimi looked up curiously from her own meal.

"I'm not hungry, but thank you for your generosity. It was very good."

Michael choked and started coughing loudly. His girlfriend swatted him on the back before he could turn blue. "What the hell are you using manners for? We're all friends here...At least I think we are."

"Just because she doesn't swear and belch at will around us doesn't mean she doesn't think any less of us," Mimi said in the French girl's defense.

"Yeah, but she's being _formal_. That's just wrong in my book."

"Some people were raised to have good manners and I think Catherine is one of them," Akina pointed out. She smiled at the flabbergasted girl with a nod. "It's okay. He's a guy anyway."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Koushiro stared at the raven haired young woman who shrugged.

"Not to be stereotypical, but girls are usually pressed into having good manners."

"I have good manners," he snapped.

" I know but…"

"Will you all shut up?" Takeru jumped to his feet and narrowed his blue eyes at the others. "This is a ridiculous thing to be arguing about so let's just stop and finish our food."

Catherine stared at the annoyed blonde for a moment and bowed her head apologetically. "I didn't mean to upset anyone. I'm sorry, everyone."

Mimi glanced between Catherine and Takeru then stood up. "That's it. We're going to have a serious girl/girl conversation right now," she growled, snatching the blonde girl by the arm and hauled her off in the opposite direction.

Akina hesitated a moment as she watched her first friend in years being dragged away without even a sound of protest before she too rose to her feet and trailed off after the two young women as the others sat in silence.

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Mimi paced in front of Catherine who sat in the grass with a dejected look on her face.

"You wouldn't understand-"

"Try me!" The Japanese brunette shoved a strand of hair from her face and plopped down next to her. "Look, I can tell that you still like him so what happened between you two because it's just driving me insane watching the way you act around each other. One minute you're close and the next you act like you had ran over his cat with a guilty expression on your face. So what, may I ask happened?"

"You wouldn't-" Catherine began as her eyes welled with tears.

Mimi yelled in frustration and bolted back to her feet, clenching her hands into fists as she began muttering incoherently to herself.

"It's not going to help interrogating her," a soft voice said from behind them.

"Akina, what would you know?"

The raven haired girl shrugged and tucked her hands in her pockets as she dropped her gaze to the ground. "Would you like being treated that way? It's obvious that something is wrong. Pushing her isn't going to help. I should know."

Mimi considered the girl for a second and seemed to calm down. She loosened her hands, dropping them to her sides. "Alright but you know that this can't go on forever."

"I also know that there are some major communication issues between all of you. Even you and Michael. As an outsider I can tell best. And yes, I will admit that there are problems between Koushiro and I and I will admit it, but it's like all of you are in denial over everything or something." Akina paused a moment as she addressed Catherine. "You've been holding back something, haven't you."

"Yes." The French girl bit her lip as she closed her eyes. "And it'd kill Takeru if he knew and I don't want that. I don't want to hurt him anymore than I already have been."

"What is it?" Mimi sat down next to her and gently touched her shoulder. "You can trust us…. I know that we all haven't been too good of friends, but…. Well, I can tell it's eating you up inside."

_How can I tell them? I just wish I could wake up and discover that it had all been one horrible dream… _Catherine shook her head as she drew a breath. "It's my mother…. She-she's controlling and had always insisted on me being a lady."

"Some parents can be strict," Akina murmured in understanding. "But that's not the problem is it."

"No. The summer after Takeru came to France to see me…." She smiled sadly from the memory. "Mother did not approve of him when she found out about it and told me that I had to break all communication with him because-because…. I'm betrothed to a diplomat's son."

"WHAT?" Mimi gaped in shock at the confession nearly falling over in surprise. "How? I mean you're not a princess or anything…. Do they even do that anymore?"

Akina winced as Catherine softly cried in grief. "Have you tried asking about breaking it off?"

"You don't know my mother. What says goes and if I don't I'll be disowned." Catherine sniffled as she wrapped her arms around herself. "You won't believe how many things I have given up because of her. She even hated Floramon! I-I couldn't tell Takeru…. It'd just hurt too much."

"I know this might sound horrible, but have you thought of taking charge of your own life and doing what you want for a change?"

"You-you mean go against her?"

"Yes."

"I can't! She-she'll… I don't know what she'd do but… no. I just can't."

Mimi exchanged glances with Akina and gave the blonde a gentle smile. "Sometimes parents don't always know what's best and you do love him, don't you?"

_"Oui."_

"Then maybe it's time for Catherine to take change and leave her mother's little puppet in the closet. You can't let her run your life. And you said that she has made you give up many things…. Do you _really_ want to give up a cute guy like Takeru?"

Akina giggled as she nodded in agreement. "And it's obvious that he still likes you. He's just confused because of what had happened but you can remedy that. Just explain to him why you did what you did and what you plan on doing. He seems like a pretty reasonable guy so it shouldn't be too hard."

"If you say so…" Catherine whispered as the two girls pulled her to her feet. "But I don't think Mother will appreciate me not obeying her orders."

"To hell with her!"

"Mimi!" Akina gave her an incredulous look.

"Sorry," she replied sheepishly. "What I mean is, this is your life, so live it."

Catherine closed her eyes. "You're right." She smiled and suddenly felt lighter. She had been doing what others wanted for so long that it was time for her to follow her own dreams for a change even if it meant being disobedient. If she wanted to be an actress, or a nurse, or even a business owner, she should be able to live her life the way she wanted. "The wedding is off."

Suddenly she was engulfed in a bright light that quickly faded. The others blinked at the change then grinned. "Looks like Koushiro is not the only colorful person anymore."

"What?" Takeru's eyes widened as he and the other boys appeared from behind a group of trees. "Whoa, um, we saw a flash of light and came to see what was up and um, Catherine…. You look great."

The bewildered girl looked down at herself and gasped. Her short sleeveless turtleneck dress that was once a bland gray was now light green with a silver belt wrapped around her slender waist. She also wore matching silver gloves and tights while her ankle length boots were the same green as her dress. "Oh my…"

Koushiro tilted his head as he took in the blonde's newest appearance and smiled. "Out of curiosity, what color is your Power Stone?"

She frowned a moment then retrieved it from her now silver bag and found to her surprise that it too was silver. "I still don't know what to make of this though."

Akina glanced over her shoulder at the stone and pursed her lips then laughed. "Of course."

"What?"

"Dreams. You finally accepted that you're going to live your life the way you want it and in that follow your dreams…. Your crest is probably dreams… I saw sketches of the crests in a temple on Data."

"Data?" Koushiro scowled. "Where is that?"

"I don't really know…. That's where my sisters and I got our crests many years back. It was in Document Mountain. I think I was ten at the time."

"Wait! You were ten when you got your crests….and you're twenty now…. You were in the Digital World the same time we were?" Mimi threw her hands in the air as she began to pace. "But how could that be? I mean you'd think Gennai would have told us that there were others and…. I'm beginning to hate him more and more… We could have used the help!"

Michael grabbed her shoulders nearly missing being decked by her flailing limbs. "Calm down or you'll put someone's lights out, like my own."

Akina shook her head. "I don't think we were in the same place and more than likely not for the same reason. The Digital World is huge and in that…. It may have been equivalent to New York to Japan. That's a large amount of distance."

Koushiro nodded in agreement but frowned as something cold touched his nose. "Snow?" He looked up and found several white flurries falling lazily towards them. "I think we better find shelter before some bad happens."

"Damn, and me without my snowboard," Michael snorted. "Oh well. Let's head out troops!" The other Chosen decided it'd be best to follow knowing questioning even a tiny snowflake could lead to disaster in no time.

* * *

"I want to go home," Ami whined as she and the other Chosen came to a halt at a clearing in the trees. She kicked at the sand and gripped the sides of her skirt. "I just want to play my flute and stay in my room where it's nice and safe with no stupid natural disasters trying to kill me!"

Miyako rubbed her temples as the short red head continued yet another temper tantrum. She didn't believe it was possible for another human being to whine as much as the pint size girl. Not even Jyou or Mimi could go on and on with the intensity that Ami could. At that moment Miyako really wished she had a roll of duct tape handy so she could put an end to the torture.

"Geez, she's like a broken record," Wallace muttered in disgust. His lips curved wickedly as he tossed his hands behind his head. "Hey, if there is an enemy that we have to face, let's just have Ami complain to them for a few hours and maybe she'll make them go away."

"Wallace!" The lavender haired young woman giggled with that thought and tossed a lock of hair from her shoulder. "Might not be a bad idea though."

"Wonder what crest she has," Ken inquired trying to change the subject.

"Probably the Crest of Complaints."

Jyou sent the trio an icy gaze. "Guys, try to be a bit nicer. She has been stuck here for over three years."

Miyako smirked, her brown eyes shining with renewed interest. "Oh? Does Jyou by any chance have a crush on Little Miss Pint Size? She's even shorter than Hikari and Hikari is short."

"No! I-I just think we should be nice to her, that's all," Jyou mumbled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Ken raised his eyebrows and glanced towards his girlfriend who snickered at the elder Chosen's reaction. "If you say so."

"What? It's true!"

Wallace put his hands up stepping between the two." No need to get defensive, dude. We're just observing and taking your word for it."

Jyou covered his face with his hands. "I'm twenty-five years old. I don't need this. I shouldn't even be here for crying out loud!"

"You're technically twenty-two now and we're not doing anything, Jyou," Ken said simply.

The American grinned. "Right! And she's what? Six?"

"Wallace! Stop it!" The blue haired man glowered at the teen who shrugged innocently.

"Sorry, I was just joking. I'm guessing that she is either early twenties or late teens, which means she can't be too young."

Jyou looked at the group in disbelief. "You can't be trying to playmakers…. Please tell me that you aren't serious."

Miyako laughed as she shook her head. "No, we aren't as long as she doesn't try to sink her claws into Ken, I don't care who she goes after but since you're single-"

"And she's not my type," Wallace cut in earned a light backhand from the lone female in their group for his rudeness in interrupting her.

"We figured if it could work, why not."

"No. Absolutely not," Jyou shook his head as he backed away.

"Hey, it might cut down her whining."

"NO! I'm not doing it!"

"We're not going to make you do anything you don't want to do, man." Wallace explained innocently. "It's just something to consider. I mean, hey, she's pretty."

"What are you talking about?" Ami questioned as she walked towards the group and wiped at her red swollen eyes.

"Oh nothing." Miyako said quickly.

Wallace stepped between the two girls and grinned. "Hey, why don't we take a break for a while? I mean it's not everyday we have a hail storm and I'm kind of starving right now."

Ken nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a good idea."

"Well, only if we're not in more impending danger, but sure. Okay," Jyou replied and soon they all found themselves setting up a very modest picnic, each hoping the moment of peace won't be stripped away too soon.

* * *

"Ow!"

"Sorry," Daisuke said as he dabbed at a rather long cut on Hikari's arm. He made a face at the blood and after a thorough cleaning, carefully wrapped it in gauze. "I think you really made a mess out of yourself this time."

Hikari cringed at her wrapped ankle and knee, as well the faint scratch marks on her arms and legs. "I look like I got into a fight with Miko and lost."

Or something like that," he chuckled then became serious. "It also looks like you may have at least twisted that ankle if not sprained it," he gestured toward the bandaged right ankle.

"At least I didn't break it."

"Yeah, but you still can't put too much pressure on it."

She sighed heavily. "Great. Now I'm really going to be dead weight as if I wasn't already."

Daisuke glared at her. "You're not dead weight. The only way you'd be dead weight is if you were well, dead. But we're not going to consider that right now because otherwise I'd be talking to a ghost and well, there would be some major therapy bills to consider after that and to be honest I'm kinda broke right now."

Hikari blinked at him then shifted her gaze back to her ankle. "But I'll probably not be able to run and that seems to be all we're doing here."

"We'll figure something out."

She shivered and shoved a strand of drying hair from her eyes. "Thank you for saving me. I'm sorry-"

"Stop apologizing. It's getting kinda annoying."

"Sorry."

"Hikari…."

She bit her lip trying to keep from repeating herself again. Her nose twitched and she suddenly sneezed. "I just hope I don't have pneumonia now on top of everything else. Taichi would throw a fit."

"We all would." Daisuke sighed dropping the first aid kit to the ground and wrapped his encircled around her despite how oddly awkward it felt. He couldn't determine what had changed but he didn't like it. In either case, he couldn't let her fall ill.

"Daisuke…."

"I'm not going to let you get sick and you did say you trust me right?"

Hikari shifted slightly and curled up against him, leaning against his chest. "Yeah, and thank you."

He repositioned his jacket so that it covered Hikari and held her close to him as he watched the flames cast dancing shadows around their cave. Normally he would have been enthralled to hold her just as he was now, but… something was pushing those emotions back.

_"Don't turn away."_

Daisuke blinked at the voice that seemed to echo in his head. He turned his head towards Hikari and found her sound asleep. "What?"

_"Don't forget your promise."_

"My promise?" He tried to think but his head was beginning to pound with heavy pressure as though it could explode. It was as if something was trying to block him and for one terrifying moment as he looked down at Hikari, his mind drew a blank on who she was. Hesitantly he reached out for her limp hand and grabbed it, clutching on to it as though it were the only thing keeping him from falling into a deep dark hole. There was something that he had forgotten, something that may have the reason behind everything but he couldn't remember. And if he couldn't remember, did any of the others? Did they even know?

"Daisuke," The sleeping girl mumbled, unaware of the questions racing through his mind as she enclosed her hand around his.

"Damn it. Why can't I remember?" In the back of his mind he could see a younger version of Hikari with her hands behind her back. Her bright brown eyes seemed to sparkle with laughter as she gave him one of her mysterious smiles. _"Don't forget, Daisuke."_ He felt a pang of sadness at the glow of life that revolved around her compared to the girl lying in his arms. It was as though they were two different people yet they were both Yagami Hikari. "I'm sorry, Hikari."

Her brown eyes fluttered open and stared at him in wonderment. "What are you sorry about?"

"Oh! I-I didn't mean to wake you… Sorry." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

Hikari smirked in turn. "Hey, if I'm not allowed to be sorry then neither are you! That's a double standard."

Daisuke had to chuckle at her response. _There still is a bit of the old Hikari in there after all. Maybe trying to pretend that she is the same girl may help me remember what I'm not supposed to forget. _With that in mind he grinned winking at her. "Well, I'm special so I don't have to follow those rules. Besides, You're the one that's every other word began with S and ended in Y."

"Silly? Yes, I'd say that'd be true. You are silly after all."

He groaned at her answer. "Fine. Begins in SO and ended in Y."

She paused for a moment then giggled. "I don't think I'd call you Sonny. Maybe you have me confused with a little old lady though Soapy would work if you were to have been mauled by a dog escaping his flea bath."

"Now whose being silly?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

A teasing smile crossed Hikari's lips as she twirled a lock of hair between her fingers. "I don't know. You?"

Daisuke's eyes danced in merriment and before he even realized it, he had brought his mouth down to Hikari's in a simple yet moderately passionate kiss. Just as was about to pull her closer, his eyes flew open and he froze, staring in horror at Hikari's wide-eyed expression. "Shit. I…. Damn it." Daisuke bolted to his feet, stumbling slightly as his heart seemed to pound in his ears. He drew a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair as he swore to the ceiling of the cave, trying to avoid Hikari's bewildered face. "Well, I guess we're even now… huh."

"But…" She wrung her hands together as if fighting to find the right words and shook her head as if trying to clear it. "Why did you…I mean I …. Were we more than just friends?"

_Oh shit…. Here we go… _The boy leaned his head against the wall and debated how to answer the question. There was so much to explain, but the question remained, how much should he divulge?

"Tell me the truth, Daisuke. The pictures…. We looked close and you said you loved someone, but they had went away…." Hikari's eyes flashed as she thought back to the conversation more closely. "It was me, wasn't it? Wasn't it?" Her voice became higher as she leapt to her feet and turned to glare down at him. "Tell me the truth, damn it!"

He lifted his gaze towards hers and clenched his jaw. "I can't. Not until you remember." Daisuke's eyes widened at the words that fell out of his mouth. "You need to remember on your own, not by what anyone tells you."

"Damn you." Her hand swung out to slap him for his bluntness but halted halfway. Instead she limped towards the opposite side of the cave and collapsed painfully to the ground. Hugging her bruised and scrapped knees to her chest, she cried. "You-you're right," she said through a broken voice. "It-it's just so hard."

"I know, but I promise I won't leave your side until you tell me to and even then, well, I may watch from afar. Just to make sure you're okay." He sighed again as he redirected his attention to the fire. "We better get some sleep then we can scout out and see if we can find some answers for a change because I am getting sick and tired of wandering around aimlessly."

Hikari nodded in agreement. Silently they hoped they would find Hikari's memories soon before anything else could start disappearing.

* * *

Author Notes: I think this is the first chapter that I have note ended in some sort of cliffhanger. I have to say things are really getting intense before the four groups. I'm intrigued as to how the last few chapters will turn out.

Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed the latest installment.


	25. Dire Reasoning

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 25  
Dire Reasoning  
By  
Sailor Janus

Taichi ground his teeth together as he and the others continued their search for Sora. The fact that they had been looking for nearly an hour and yet found no trace of the red head did not bode well and made him worry even more for their lost friend. He sighed and shoved his bangs from his eyes.

"Don't worry, Tai. We'll find her," Tani murmured softly as she touched his arm in reassurance. She bit her lip for a moment in thought and bowed her head. "We'll find them all."

He glanced down at her and blinked. "How…"

"What?"

"Nothing," he sighed.

Tani wrinkled her nose at him. "Oh!" Her eyes widened as she realized what he was about to say. "Where you going to ask how I was able to last so long without going insane over the whereabouts of my sisters?" Silence was her answer but she explained anyway. "I-I really don't know. Akina can kind of take care of herself…. Ami is a different matter. If anyone has the damsel in distress act down, it's her."

"What do you mean?" Taichi frowned as the brunette shrugged.

"She does this 'pity me' thing…. I think a large majority of that is from being the youngest and putting up with Shina."

"I see."

Tani hesitated a moment and turned her attention to her fingernails. "You never did mention what happened to Hikari. I can tell that you're worried about her, more than usual," she whispered softly after a brief glance back at the others who were silently trailing behind them. "I didn't ask anyone else about it, because I wanted to hear the answer from you."

"She-she…" He paused a moment, unsure of how best to explain things. The young man drew a breath and finally replied, "We all came here to find Hikari's memories. She had been missing for several years when out of the blue, Daisuke found her in a park in Kyoto. She doesn't remember who anyone is outside of me." Taichi rubbed his face with his hands in frustration. "You should have seen her. She looks like she's already dead and acts as though she wants to make that reality come true."

Tani's brown eyes widen in horror as the missing girl's brother clenched his hands into fists. She quickly grabbed one of his hands and held it firmly in her own. She opened her mouth several times as if at a loss for words as he came to a halt and instead pressed her face against his shoulder.

"What's going-" Rosa began as Iori clamped a hand over her mouth.

He shook his head at her and led her by the arm to a shady area of the forest as if knowing that things were better left uninterrupted. Yamato too followed, understanding exactly what the teenager was trying to do.

"Damn it," Taichi breathed as he fought to maintain his composure, but it was futile. He was supposed to be the courageous leader but there he was falling apart over his baby sister who was God knows where, and either alive or dead. He sank to his knees, still battling against the tears that began to flood his anguish filled eyes. He could feel Tani's arms around him as she leaned supportively against his back while all he could do was kneel in a numbing stupor.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke. "You've always been overprotective her. Why?"

"When we were kids she nearly died because I made her get sick. All I wanted was to play soccer….but she caught pneumonia… I was so stupid."

"But it was an accident."

"I'm her big brother. I'm supposed to watch out for her!" Taichi snapped as bitter tears slid down his cheeks. "It didn't help that she nearly got sick again after being dragged back to the World of Darkness when she was thirteen." His eyes flashed at the memory. "Damn it, She felt like ice and was drenched to the bone when we found her. All she did was cry and cry…. I felt like I could have killed someone with my bare hands."

"World of Darkness?"

He nodded with an angry sigh. "Hikari is the Chosen of Light and for some really screwed up reason that we don't even know she ends up disappearing to someplace that she calls the World of Darkness. There have only been two known times so far. Once when she was eleven and then again when she was thirteen. Hell, she could be there right close to death if…. she hasn't already died."

"Don't say that!" Tani moved so she could look Taichi in the eye. "She will be fine, you just have to believe it. But look, I know you're scared, you're just too proud to admit it."

"I'm the Chosen of Courage…or at least I was. There is no room for fear," he snorted and shook his head dejectedly. "I'm a failure."

"No, you're not. And guess what? Sometimes it take a more courageous person to admit that they're afraid than one that lies through their teeth to preserve their pride."

Taichi raised an eyebrow that the young woman. "Gee, thanks. I didn't you know thought I was a jackass."

"Your words, not mine. Listen, Hikari needs her brother to be strong, not a pretender. To do what you have done takes a lot of guts, but…. I know you and being afraid is something that you never liked to admit. How about starting now? Take the biggest step in bravery and see what happens." Tani's mouth quirked into a playful smile as she ruffled his unruly locks.

"Hey!" He caught her hand and chuckled as he yanked her down to the ground in front of him. "Fine, I'm scared out of my mind over all this shit that is so screwed up that I can't seem to figure out which way is up anymore. The fact that I have no clue where Agumon is definitely is not a comfort either outside of Hikari's unknown whereabouts. Hell, I don't even know if we'll last long enough to find out where Hikari and the digimon are. So yeah, we're pretty much defenseless outside of our own wits and even though I'm still freaking out over everything…. I'll try my best to keep everyone safe."

"Isn't that what a leader is supposed to do?"

"Damn straight. And I'm not afraid to do something I've been wanting to do ever since you fell on me either," he arched one eyebrow and threw her a devilish smile.

Tani blinked in wonder and cocked her head to the side in thought. "And that would be?"

Taichi smirked as he shoved her down to her back by the shoulders, laughing as she shrieked in surprise. He quickly leaned over Tani, pressing his mouth against hers in a deep kiss that literally said that it had been way too long since their last one. When they finally broke away he was greeted by an even livelier expression as the girl of his dreams seemed to gawk at him in amazement. "I didn't think the kiss was that good," he snickered.

"Then you haven't looked in the mirror, Tai," she breathed still staring at him. "I think you activated your Power Stone…. and you seem to be the leader again too."

The young man froze for a moment then glanced down at his chest, his jaw dropped at the sight of a pair of gunmetal gray goggles with stormy blue lenses. His line of vision abruptly shifted to the blue-gray short-sleeved v-neck shirt over the near black turtleneck, followed by his gloves, now a stormy blue with dark gray cuffs. Taichi lastly turned his focus to his cargo pants that could revert to shorts in a deep gray lined in blue-gray with only the pockets, and cuffs in the same blue shade. His sneakers too, were blue and gray. "Um, wow."

Tani grinned at his expression and sat up. "So I guess we're on again. In more ways than one since it looks like we're both leaders…. It makes sense I guess since I led my siblings, but is there room for more than one leader?"

"Hell, yeah!" Taichi leaped to his feet and gazed down at the goggles still strapped around his neck. "If I didn't mind Daisuke being a leader than why should your being one be any different?" He quickly snatched his girlfriend's hands and pulled her to her feet then threw her over his shoulder as she squealed in shock.

"Hey, Caveman! Did you check out your Power Stone?" A deep voice said behind them.

"Huh?" The Chosen leader spun around and nearly dropped Tani as he caught a rather amused Yamato's gaze as he shook his head at them. "Oh, uh…." Taichi fished the stone out of his pocket then scowled at it. "It-it's gray. But I thought that was Jyou's color because mine is supposed to be orange…. What the hell?"

The blonde however shoved his hands in his pockets as Iori and Rosa joined the group. "I guess things really have changed."

Rosa blushed as she looked at the playful couple then quickly studied her shoes. "If the colors are different then what does it mean?"

"I don't know. But I think our next goal is to activate our stones in whatever way we can." The Kendo expert glanced at the teenaged girl by his side briefly then turned to Yamato. "I also suspect that now that the air is cleared, it'd be best to continue our search for Sora."

Taichi made a face then pointed to the sky. "Then I guess we should be off."

"Um, Tai, can you let me down first… all the blood is rushing to my head…." Tani kicked her feet slightly, in an attempt to get his attention. "Taichi? Tai! Put me down, you Neanderthal!"

The other Chosen followed behind the two leaders, trying to stifle their laughter at the couple's antics. The only other active thought in their minds was Sora's whereabouts and the lingering mystery of the Power Stones.

* * *

Waves of blinding white haze struck the Chosen in a chilling assault as they struggled to escape the torturous storm. The frantic pace of the snow threatened to bury anything in its path as the wind increased upon the second.

"I hate blizzards!" Mimi cried out as she gripped onto Michael's hand for dear life.

"Not always. You're just upset because they don't have any candy coated chocolates," he shouted to her with a laugh. It was evident he was trying to lighten the mood despite how bleak it seemed.

"Wrong type of blizzard!"

"I really can't think of ice cream when I feel like my nose is going to freeze off," Takeru muttered through chattering teeth. "As Daisuke would probably say to that context however…" He cleared his throat then threw his head back and shouted, "I think someone went a little overboard. But if it starts raining crushed candy, I'm all for it!"

Koushiro blinked completely stunned at blonde Japanese boy. "I think that is a very accurate representation of Daisuke. Did he ever say that?"

"Actually…. I think so. Probably during a ski trip in Colorado. Either that or it was Hikari mocking him trying to get him to calm down about his accident," The writer shrugged and wrapped his arms around himself as he tried to focus on the conversation rather than the temperature. "He actually requested to be brought to the tree he hit so he could cuss it out. I don't think I have seen him more livid…. Then again it could have cost him his scholarship."

"Sometimes a distraction is the best way to get through things….as we are demonstrating right now," Akina softly said before she sneezed.

"I'd rather have a nice hot cup of tea or maybe hot chocolate," Catherine murmured as her blonde curls whipped in her face.

"With mini marshmallows!" Takeru chimed in with a childish grin.

"_Oui!_ Most definitely."

"Hot chocolate," Mimi whispered as she felt herself drifting. It was an odd sensation. One minute she felt like she was going to turn into one of those ice carving statues and the next… she felt nothing. Not cold, not hot, she couldn't even tell if she was still clutching onto Michael's hand. It was as though she were no longer trailing through the mountain region during a raging blizzard.

She blinked in wonder at the fog of nothingness she was surrounded in. Confusion flashed across her face as fear slowly set in. "Where am I?"

_"You're here of course."_

Mimi gasped at the disembodied voice and spun around in warning. "Who's there?"

_"That's not important. What is however, is that you have a good, pure heart and need to follow it for a change," _the soft feminine voice said earnestly. _"You need to trust it. It won't lead you astray."_

"But I don't understand-"

Her mind immediately returned to the last thing she thought of as the voice fell silent. Hot chocolate. What was it about the beverage that made her lose track of everything around her? Her stomach immediately turned as the memory flooded back to her, it's images sharp and painful, but if it was important, she'd have to examine it closely.

"Mimi is such a slut. I swear she's probably sleeping with half the guys in our class," a blonde haired girl whispered to her dark haired friend as they sat in the girl's locker room after P.E brushing their hair.

"Tell me about it. She already staked her claim on Michael and now she's making her mark on Joel then Adam is probably going to be next. I swear the girl is such a bitch. She just bats an eyelash and all the guys come running towards her like trained lap dogs!"

"She should just go back to China where she belongs."

Mimi bit her lip hard as she tried to keep from crying. Instead she slammed her locker shut and approached the girls, her face oddly blank and calm in appearance. "Japan. I'm from Japan."

Her two peers however glared at her as they rose to their feet. "Why don't you go eat a cat or something?" The blonde sneered eyeing the cup of hot chocolate Mimi was unconsciously holding.

_Stereotypical morons_, the Japanese girl thought angrily. _They probably think we ran around in kimonos 24/7, and have never heard of fast food, blue jeans, or rock music. _At that moment she wanted to throw the hot drink at the two girls for their rudeness towards her and the country that she would always call home no matter where she might go next. Mimi however maintained her grip on the paper cup, the welcoming aroma of chocolate wafting tantalizingly in the air through wisps of steam. She inhaled the sent deeply and shook her head at the two girls. "Once you've actually done some research on Japan rather than make up your own assumptions, I'll choose to respond. Until then, I'll let you think what you want, but for the record… I've never slept anyone, ever. Michael is my best friend and Joel wanted to know what last weeks' assignment in History was because he got sick from a bad corndog and had to go home. Before you start gossiping, try to get the facts straight."

With that she turned on her heel and walked away as her peers stared bitterly after her. It was almost a graceful exit, when the blonde suddenly shoved her from behind, causing the steaming hot chocolate to slosh out of the cup and onto Mimi.

Mimi winced at the memory of the burns she received on her arms and the ruined shirt. Despite how hurt she was over the girls in the locker room, she still felt that perhaps if they had made an effort to get to know her that they could have been friends. She never did allow herself to hate them even though they had continued with their vicious lies. Mimi knew better and even tried to explain to others how things really were in Japan before anyone else could jump to false conclusions. She knew if she tried hard enough that perhaps people would then understand. For the most part it worked, but she never could change the minds of the two girls in the locker room.

"I did try," she said to herself as she closed her eyes. "I couldn't hate them for what they did, but I felt sorry for their closed-mindedness. If only they could have seen that differences are good because if we all were the same, it'd be a really dull and boring world." The voice she heard had to have been her own. She had never actually listened to it since perhaps the last time she had seen Palmon and the last time she actually tried to be herself rather than what other accepted as normal. _I'm Tachikawa Mimi and that's all I ever need to be because that's who I am. I'm not a fake… At least, I won't be anymore. Not like those girls, not ever again._ A sudden flood of warmth filled her body as all reality seemed to slip away once again.

* * *

"MIMI! WAKE UP!" Michael cradled her limp body against him as the storm's fury intensified. Luckily they managed to carry her to a cave that wasn't too far from where she had collapsed. He gazed down at her with worried blue-green eyes and cursed to the ceiling.

"Calm down, Michael. She'll be all right. Just give her a moment," Takeru said softly, but the American wouldn't listen.

"Calm is going to do shit."

Catherine flinched and glanced at the other Chosen gathered around Mimi. She sighed and said a silent prayer. "She has to awake. She just has to!"

Suddenly a white light erupted around Mimi's still form and slowly dissipated as her eyes fluttered open. "What- what happened?" She frowned up at the others who sat gaping over her. "What?"

"First you were dead to the world and now you're wearing white and green…." Akina quietly replied with a puzzled expression.

"WHAT?" Mimi sat up and pulled a mirror from her bag lying next to her as she inspected her appearance with a scrutinizing eye. What was once considered a drab gray long sleeved, square neck shirt was a spring green under a sheer white quarter length sleeved top that made the green of the under shirt appear mint colored instead. Her mini skirt was also white trimmed in a mint green and under that were green tights that matched her under shirt. Her elbow length gloves were also white as were her knee high boots with a mint green trim. "Not bad," she said with an approving smile as she placed the mirror back in her white bag. She paused a moment and frowned. "Wait…. White? But I had green…"

"Did you check your Power Stone?" Catherine questioned with a slight giggle.

"No, but…" the Chosen of Purity trail off as she hunted in her bag and shrieked. "It's white! But shouldn't it be green? I mean I'm still wearing green-"

"And white," Koushiro pointed out as he held out his own stone. "It's evident now that we may not have the same colors as we did previously. What it means, I have no clue."

Akina folded her arms over her chest in thought. "Maybe we should just set camp here until the storm dies down."

"Sounds like a good idea," Michael nodded as they worked together to build a fire. They could only hope that the blizzard would end soon before things could get any worse.

* * *

"So far," Wallace began between bites of his slightly bruised apple. He chewed quickly after Miyako sent him a scolding look that practically screamed 'Chew first, speak later.' He swallowed and cleared his throat as though he had paid her no mind whatsoever. "We seem to have all found our Power Stones and Ken and I have activated ours. How exactly, is still a big mystery."

Ken nodded and ran a hand through his indigo hair. He tossed the cap of his water bottle in his hand. "There is still the issue concerning Hikari and Daisuke's whereabouts as well as all of the digimon."

"And Hikari's missing memories," Miyako chimed in as she crumpled the wrapper from her crackers. She made a face at it and discarded the trash in her bag. "Somehow I have a feeling everything is tied together."

"I wonder if anyone else was able to activate their Power Stone," Jyou said in an after thought as he leaned back against the tree he was sitting in front of. He glanced at the abnormally silent Ami who was staring at the sky, apparently lost in her own little world. He shook his head and sighed. "We should try contacting the others again and see if anything's happened lately."

"Good idea," Ken pulled his D-Terminal out of his bag. The other Chosen finished whatever food they had left as he typed up a message. After a moment however a scowl crossed his commonly serene face. This only made his friends look at him in concern.

"What's wrong?" His girlfriend peered over his shoulder and blinked at the dark screen. "Did you forget to the charge the batteries or something?"

He shook his head. "No, I made sure everything was fully charged before we left…. It shouldn't be doing this."

Miyako made a face at the small computer then moved to retrieve her own. "Well, I haven't been using mine so it should have enough power." She quickly flipped it on but nothing happened. "What the hell?"

"This doesn't look good…" Jyou said as panic set in. "If we lost contact with the others then what are we going to do?"

"What's wrong? Did something happen? Are we going to die?" Ami scurried towards the others, her wide blue-green eyes already brimming with tears. "I want to go home!" Abruptly she threw her arms around the nearest person, which happened to be the med student and began sobbing in his shirt.

"Uhh, it's going to be okay," he said, patting her back awkwardly. He turned to the others for help, but was only met with looks of pity and half-hearted shrugs. "Thanks."

Wallace jumped up and gave his best stern look. "Hey! Wait! We're not just going to lie down and let whatever the hell is going on to just kill us so stop freaking out. We can survive off worse than lack of communication with the others. We just have to trust that they'll be okay just like they have to believe that we'll be okay. Okay?"

Miyako and Ken exchanged glances. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear he has been taking notes from Taichi, except I don't think they ever met," the girl whispered as her boyfriend shrugged.

"That maybe so, but didn't you say he was friends with Daisuke?" He paused a moment and shook his head. "Either way, Wallace is probably the closest thing we have to a leader at the moment. Granted I could probably lead, but it's not my forte."

"True, but I'd feel so much better if we could find some answers to everything. This is worse than the scavenger hunt you guys devised for my sixteenth birthday."

Ken grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "We'll get there. Just have faith."

"That's Jyou's department. I'm…. I don't know what I am if I'm anything…"

"Miya…"

Miyako pulled away and stood up with a sad smile. "But I'm okay with that. I'd rather be nothing if it meant finding Hikari and Daisuke and all the digimon. I never thought I'd miss Hawkmon as much as I do now…. I completely abandoned him and look at what happened? Everything got completely screwed up and I don't know if it can even be fixed."

Ken rose to his feet too, an earnest glint in his deep blue eyes. "Miya."

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. I'm Inoue Miyako. Nothing can hurt me." She backed away, grabbed her bag, and shoved a strand of lavender hair from her face. "So are we going anywhere or are we just going to sit here all day?"

Wallace stared in confusion at her and scratched his head. "What…" he began as a drop of water fell in his eyes. He blinked then tilted his head up as another landed on his cheek. "Well, damn. Now it's raining."

"At least it's only a light sprinkle…although now my hair is going to frizz up," Ami said with a slight whiny tone to her voice.

"It's not going to kill us. Come on," Miyako grumbled as she brushed past the others and started off without them.

"Well, I guess we should follow her." The American sighed and quickly sped after the lavender haired teen unsure of what to make of her newest mood. All anyone really knew was unless things improved fast, they might find themselves in deeper trouble than they could ever imagine.

* * *

Hikari gazed at Daisuke's sleeping form from her own sleeping bag and bit her lip. She didn't know where the emotions came from but all she wanted was to be near him as if he could protect her from all the evils of the world. _Don't be silly, Hikari. You probably have a hero complex going on and the reason why he won't tell you anything is because you two were never together to begin with. You've probably been just jumping to conclusions, which usually results in falling on your face. So stop being such a child and grow up._

She dropped her head in her hands and sighed deeply. "I'm such a idiot."

"You're such a slut."

Her head snapped up at the enraged voice that seemed to echo throughout the cave. Wide brown eyes scanned her surroundings before resting to an abrupt halt on a shadowed figure in the corner. Fear enveloped her as she said shakily in defense, "No, I'm not."

The stranger chuckled coldly as he stepped into the firelight. "I've been searching everywhere for you Hikari and here you are, dreaming of jumping into the sack with some guy who will probably never amount to anything."

Hikari's blood turned to ice as she met Nitoni's dark eyes as he stalked towards her. She swallowed thickly and shifted in her sleeping bag wishing to be anywhere but there. "You're wrong. And you're the one that left me, I just made it easier after you tried to kill me you-you-you, you asshole!"

"That's where you're wrong." Nitoni grabbed her hard by the wrist and hauled her to her feet as though she were nothing more than a rag doll. "You're mine and will always be mine," he growled shoving her violently against the wall. "And I will do whatever I damn well please with you."

She suddenly felt dizzy as her head slammed back against the stone. Hikari tried to shake the swirling sensation in her head, struggling to regain her focus as her mind screamed at her that this couldn't be real…but the pain was too intense for it not to be. "I'm not yours and never will be because YOU DON'T DESERVE ME!"

"Bitch." He backhanded her, forcing the other side of her face into the wall as she tried not to shriek out loud when he hit her again. In the heat of building rage he gripped her upper arms and threw her to the ground.

A rush of fire flooded Hikari's right side as she skidding on it towards the adjacent wall. She knew she couldn't run. Her ankle was still too swollen from her earlier fall to do anything more than walk on it using the lightest pressure possible. _This has to be a dream. Wake up, Hikari. You're dreaming. Wake up, damn it!_ Tears stung her eyes as she rose to her knees just in time to miss Nitoni's newest attack in the form of a knife. She cried out in horror as she threw herself to her right, allowing the blade to graze her left arm. "Go away and leave me alone!"

"Not a chance, baby. You still have a death sentence to fulfill and I shall see to it personally that you carry it out." He leaned over his ex-girlfriend and grabbed her by the hair as she screamed. He laughed in victory but it was short lived as she hit him in the face with a large rock.

Without a second to falter she forced her sprained right foot into his gut with a battle cry to mask the agony that shot through her leg as it made contact with her target. Hikari clenched her jaw as she nailed him in the windpipe with her elbow and kicked him in the face with her throbbing foot before she finally collapsed. "I-I did it."

"_You did nothing except buy yourself more time. I WILL finish this,"_ he whispered in her head as she blacked out.

* * *

Daisuke opened his eyes sleepily and yawned. He had never felt more exhausted before in his life. More than anything wanted to duck back under the covers and sleep the day away. However he knew that was wishful thinking and that right now, finding Hikari's memories and getting away from wherever they were was much more important.

"Better awaken Sleeping Beauty," he snickered to himself but froze at recalling what that would entail in the fairytale sense and knew if he kissed her one more time, that he may not have enough will power to keep his word. He sighed, climbing out of his sleeping bag and moved towards Hikari's.

The mild cheerfulness in his face vanished as the odd appearance of blood on the back of her head caught his attention. Daisuke frowned and dove to her side without a second thought. "Hikari." He touched her shoulder lightly and was suddenly greeted with an ear-shattering scream that he swore shook the walls and he leapt back in alarm. "What's wrong?"

A torture ridden sob was his only answer as she tried to curl into a tighter ball. After a moment she whispered, "I'm okay. Don't worry about me."

He narrowed his eyes trying to recall whether she had harmed her shoulder during her fall but couldn't seem to remember. "Are you okay? The back of your head looks like its been bleeding…. Hikari, look at me."

"Just leave me alone."

"Hikari."

"Please!"

Daisuke drew a breath and knelt next to her. "I'm not moving until you come out of there and I know you will eventually because no one can hold off using the bathroom forever."

Hikari paused for a moment as if she were trying to decide then carefully peeled away the cover from her sleeping bag. "I thought it was all a dream."

"What…. the hell happened to you?" Daisuke's eyes widened in horror at the sight of her disheveled appearance, dried blood was crusted over under her puffy right eye from a cut that he knew wasn't there when they went to sleep that night. Her left side looked raw where the skin was left exposed due to cuts in her shirt while the right was caked in dried blood. She wrapped her arms around herself and cried. "Hikari…"

"I'll be okay. I'll be okay. Don't worry. I'll be okay."

He moved closer to her and grabbed her trembling hands. "What happened? Tell me."

She winced and looked away, tears rushing from her reddening eyes at a more frantic pace. "I don't really understand it. I was dreaming. I was dreaming, but he-he-" she choked and gasped for air as if on the verge of a panic attack.

"Breathe, Hikari," Daisuke wrapped his arms protectively around her, careful not to use too much pressure where her wounds were. "Did someone sneak in? Do you know who or what attacked you? You have to tell me."

"It-it was a dream. I was dreaming at least…that's what I thought…. I don't know what is going on….all I know is I hurt all over especially my ankle."

"Your ankle?"

Hikari bit her lip hard and nodded. "I kicked him with it. He was going to kill me if I didn't….all I know is it hurts worse than ever."

"Kicked who?" His anger grew at the thought of someone having harmed her and at that moment all he wanted was to hurt them worse than they had hurt her. He released the girl then turned to unzip her sleeping bag to see just what type of damage she had done. Luckily, she had slept in her clothes just as he had to avoid any potential awkwardness.

"Nitoni."

Daisuke swore at both the name and the sight of Hikari's ankle, which was now twice the size it previously was. "I'm going to kill him," he growled glaring at her injury more closely. "Shit. I'm not an expert or anything, but you really did a number on it. I'm not gonna lie to you, but this looks bad. I've seen a lot of twisted and sprained ankles before during my soccer days but, damn. Hikari you may have broke it and I don't have anything to use for the swelling outside of normal first aid kit stuff." He paused for a moment then slammed a fist into the wall behind them. "DAMN HIM! How the hell could I have slept through all of that?"

"I don't think it actually happened." She then explained to him everything that had happened outside of what she was thinking before her ex had made his appearance. "I don't understand how any of this could be possible….but I don't remember crawling back inside my sleeping back, especially with how much my foot hurts…. I'm not even safe in my sleep now."

He stared at her long and hard for a moment before quickly rising to his feet and retrieved his backpack. Fury burned in his brown eyes as he dropped the bag next to Hikari then practically ripped it open. "That's it. I've had enough of this shit. After we're done bandaging you up, we're out of here even if I have to carry you half across the world. We're just damn lucky that I know some stuff about sports medicine and first aid."

"I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry," she said softly causing Daisuke to almost drop the packets of rubbing alcohol as he gave her a bewildered look.

"You didn't upset me, Hikari. The bastard that did this did. And don't you dare blame yourself for any of this. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to beat the shit out of you and try to kill you." He made quick work of cleaning her wounds as she sat with little emotion evident on her pale face. The tears were already drying up and despite the sharp bite of the alcohol; Hikari barely reacted to the stinging sensation with so much as a wince. _Don't tell me she's gone into shock... Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. I'm going to rip him to pieces if I ever find him or whoever is doing this._ He nearly swore out loud as he looked in her eyes to find them blank and lifeless. "Hikari, snap out of it."

She didn't respond, her breathing too shallow to make even a slight sound as she crumpled down to her left side. Daisuke barely had the chance to catch her.

"Hikari. Hikari! Wake up!" He snapped his fingers in her face but she remained motionless. He yelled in frustration and lightly slapped her left cheek, not wanting to hurt her any worse than she was. "Come on, Hikari…. Hikari, you have to snap out of it. Come on. Your brother is going to be really pissed off if I bring you back to him as a potted plant. Please, Hikari. I don't think you want him to use me as soccer ball…. WAKE UP, DAMN YOU!"

The young woman suddenly gasped sharply as though she had been underwater holding her breath for a long time. She blinked and frowned at the red marks on her wrist.

Daisuke too looked and gaped in shock. "Tho-tho-those weren't there before…. What the hell is going on here?"

"I don't know."

He gritted his teeth and eased Hikari off him then shoved everything he could back in his bag and frantically packed up Hikari's things as well. "We're getting out of here. Now."

"But… my ankle…" she protested when he threw his backpack and hers on then scooped her into his arms."

"I told you, I'd carry you across the world if I had to and don't you dare even suggest having me leave you because I'd have every bone broken in my body while I'm still alive than do that." Daisuke shifted her slightly as he adjusted to the extra weight and started out of the cave then swore again as he froze at the threshold. "That's it! I'm having a nervous breakdown…. Why couldn't one of the Chosen become a psychiatrist? They might have been able to give me a discount."

Hikari shook her head as her brown eyes fell upon the lively ocean waves a few feet away reflecting off a dim stormy sky. "You're not losing it. That wasn't there before. I would have remembered hearing the ocean…"

"We're both going to need therapy now." He sighed then started off; his only wish was to find a way to keep them both safe in time find Hikari's memories and then a way back home. Deep down he knew it was easier said than done.

* * *

Author's Notes: This chapter was just…. odd. I really didn't plan much of it outside of Taichi and Mimi activating their Power Stones. I must say pretty much the rest of this story is up in the air as far as what happens next aside from what stones are activated when and what storm hits next so I am intrigued to see how it all comes together just as you are probably as well.

Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. Until then.


	26. Beyond Boundaries

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 26  
Beyond Boundaries  
By  
Sailor Janus

Yamato closed his eyes against the cool breeze as he and the other Chosen wandered through the thickly shaded forest. The sun seemed like just a memory as darkness took over the further along they went. Stalking shadows wove and shuddered around the five friends on a quest to find their missing comrade.

"How far did she go? Must have really gotten lost because it feels like we've been walking forever and a day," Rosa said with a fatigued sigh. She made a face at her sneakers and tried to stretch out her back mid step. "I don't know how much further I can go. I am almost how you say it…pooped."

Iori quirked an eyebrow at her then shook his head. "If you think I'm going to carry you again, forget it."

"I didn't ask you to!"

"Then don't act like you're trying to without using the actual words."

Rosa stuck her tongue out at him then stomped towards the front of the party where Tani and Taichi were walking side by side. She halted a moment then slowed her pace to trail behind them instead.

"Where the hell is she? Did she just sprout wings and fly away?" Taichi ran a hand through his hair in frustration then muttered a curse under his breath.

"We'll find her. Don't worry." His girlfriend gave him a reassuring smile then bit her lip as though she were uncertain of her own words.

Yamato let his gaze linger on the two and shook his head. _Sora. Where are you?_ Never before in his life could he imagine being as worried as he was at that moment. Granted the redhead did have a rather annoying habit of running off when upset but never had she been gone this long. _Maybe I don't deserve her. Maybe I don't deserve anyone. _

He stopped abruptly, unknown to the others and stood still as he ground his fingerless gloved hands into fists. It was his fault that Sora ran off. Not Tani's. She had been running from him so long that he was surprised that she would even return.

"_What are you afraid of? Why do you keep pushing everyone away?"_

The blonde's head snapped up and he blinked. He was no longer standing in the middle of a dim forest but a large grassy field surrounded by nothing. "Am I dead?"

"_Far from it lucky for you." _The deep voice said with a mild chuckle before becoming serious once again. _"But if you're not careful, you will be."_

Yamato spun around and found a figure shrouded in a thick pale cloak that made him resemble a ghost more than anything else. "Who are you? Are you Death?"

"_Do I have a scythe?"_ The figure made no motion to move closer to the young man. _"You're the one that's been running. What is more important? Having people that care for you even though you might get hurt or shielding yourself from everyone and everything and living a lie?"_

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"_Stupid! You're going to kill yourself if you keep this up. You already see it in the others. You have to save yourself before you can save anyone else. I've already screwed up. Don't do the same."_

"Wait… Are you dead?"

"_That's not important. Unless you want to continue down this path of emotional suicide, open up. You're pushing everyone away. You need to be a friend to yourself or you're just lying to everyone."_

Yamato stared at the figure frozen in shock over his words. Was it his conscience or something more? Somehow he felt that he knew mysterious man but at the same time did not. It was enough to make his head hurt. His thoughts quickly drifted towards Sora, Takeru, Gabuman, Taichi, Daisuke, Hikari and the others. He had been running. Everyone was destroying his or herself, but he was too lost trying to kill off his emotions to even react let alone notice. The only way for him to actually cope was to pretend to be who he once was, and get lost in his music…. Until his manager dropped him.

It almost terrified him as he reflected on how weight obsessed Sora had become despite the fact that he thought she was beautiful no matter what she weighed in at. _And did I ever tell her? No, I was too busy fretting over the damn band._ Taichi. When he had last seen him appeared ready to snap at any moment, but once again, Yamato did nothing. Even when he saw how destroyed Daisuke and Hikari were when he and Sora bumped into them at the ice cream parlor, he did only what was hospitable but little else, yet there was so much more he could have done. Should have done. Even his own brother was dying inside, yet Yamato was too blind, too angry to notice. _I'm such an idiot. Not only was I killing myself but my friends as well because I did nothing to help them. What kind of friend am I? _

Yamato snapped his head up and looked directly at the now silent figure with his steely blue gaze. "I understand and I will rectify this. I'll change and help my friends because that is what a true friend does."

Suddenly the world seemed to vanish in a flash of light as a terrified scream reawakened his senses. "What?" He glanced around and found himself back in the forest. A second cry shattered the brief moment of silence prompting the singer to react as he took off at a frantic pace for the one voice he knew by heart. "SORA!"

As he raced closer Yamato came to a screeching halt, as his senses seemed to go on red alert. He frowned at a large mass of sand before it finally registered to him that it was actually quicksand and if he had gone tearing through it, there was no doubt he would have become stuck as well as.

_Wait. Quicksand normally isn't that deep. It's usually just a few feet…. In the real world, but there is no telling if those rules apply here. _He shook his head fiercely then cupped his hands around his mouth. "SORA! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"YAMATO?" A terror filled voice echoed back. "HELP!"

"HANG ON!" He gritted his teeth together as he search for some sign indicating where exactly his girlfriend was. The fact that he didn't know the location of the others didn't bode well either. Normally Taichi was best suited for heroics but since there was lack of their goggle-headed leader, one lone band member would have to do.

Yamato narrowed his eyes as they searched for Sora when they finally fell upon a glint of red hair in the distance. He drew a deep breath and raced towards the large mound of sand then vaulted towards it. However, rather than landing on the firm soil, he instead sunk a few inches in the gritty sand_. Damn it. I'm not going to let her down anymore and nothing is going to stop me. Please hang on, Sora. _

Quickly he moved through the quicksand, sinking a little more with each movement, his only soul purpose was to find the one person he felt he had betrayed despite how he felt towards her and only her. After what seemed like years Yamato, wading through the sand that now grazed his chin and found a shot of red hair just mere inches from his face. Fear flooded mind as he stared breathlessly at her still form.

Just as he thought the worst, Sora's head popped up, coated in sand as she coughed hoarsely. She paused as moment then stared at him as she craned her neck as high as it could go. Her brown eyes, wide and tear filled shut quickly as the sand tried to swallow her whole again like some terrible monster choosing the young woman for his next meal.

Yamato swore then dove towards her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her limp form towards him. "Stay with me, Sora. Please, don't give up," he said in voice that sounded too shaky to have been his own.

"Yamato." She leaned into him and bit her lip. "If we stay still, we shouldn't sink any deeper. At least that's what I've read but…."

"We don't know if the same is true here. Yeah, I know."

"So, what's going to happen to us?"

"If Taichi gets his ass here, we should be fine. If he doesn't…. well I guess I'll have to think of something." He paused a moment and pressed Sora's back tighter to his chest, trying to keep her at the same head height he was. He hesitated as he listened to her soft breathing. "I- I know I've been a screw up lately with the band and all. Things have just been a mess and I've been really frustrated since my manager dropped us and well… damn it." He tilted his head up and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Sora. I've practically ignored you and everyone else…. I haven't been a very good friend to anyone including myself and even if you can't forgive me, I understand. Hell, I probably can't even forgive myself."

She lifted one hand to his and squeezed it. "Life just swept us all away…. And not exactly to a place we wanted. I understand that things didn't exactly turn out as we hoped, but that doesn't mean we have to let those dreams go either. I have faith in you, Yamato. You'll find you big break and that idiot of a manger will just have to eat his toupee."

Yamato opened his mouth to reply but was instead interrupted by a very familiar loud mouth calling out to them.

"Hey! You two okay?" Taichi peered down at the couple from the branch of a tree. Tani stood balanced on one limb below them, a frown very evident on her normally serene face.

"Tai, it looks like they're stuck in quicksand," she murmured.

His gaped in shock at her statement then dropped down from his perch before anyone could protest. "Stay put! I'm going to find a branch or a pole or something."

Iori however grasped the back of the leader's shirt. "Wait. A human chain might be more effective as long as no one loses their grip."

Rosa glanced at him then at the tree she was standing next to as if reaching a silent understanding. A slow smile crept up on her lips and she wrapped one arm around the thick trunk, hugging it for dear life then reached out towards the stoic teen. He looked at the offered hand before accepting it then moved towards the mass of sand.

"Teamwork." Tani jumped down and grinned as she took Iori's other hand then grabbed Taichi's.

"Yeah. I guess I should be the one to pull them to safety. Okay, ready when everyone else is." He said with a glint of determination in his eyes.

"Will you just move your ass before I have to swallow anymore sand?" Yamato growled at his best friend as he tried to ignore the pain in his rigid muscles. If he didn't move soon it was evident he'd end up dealing with some serious cramps in his legs.

"Right." Together Taichi and Tani headed into the quicksand, sinking deeper the nearer they got to their friends.

Yamato turned to Sora and gave her a quiet smile. "You first," he whispered, brushing his lips against her temple then directed her towards the begoggled leader. "Be careful."

"Wouldn't dream of letting my two best friends get hurt," Taichi said in a tone that surprised Yamato. It had been a long time since he heard that tone and oddly, he found it both refreshing and comforting. It was a quality that belonged to a true leader and made him realize that perhaps it wasn't too late to change. Little did he know that the changes were already in progress, including for himself.

Once everyone was safely on solid soil, only then did the others point out something rather peculiar about the musician as he dusted the sand from his golden blonde tresses.

"Um, Yamato? Did you notice that your clothes have changed?" Sora questioned with a knowing laughing. She made a slight face at her still gray clothing then shrugged. "I think you look really good."

"Huh?" He glanced down and nearly did a double take. The high-necked long sleeved shirt he wore was now a deep coppery red color underneath a long tan vest, which matched perfectly with his tan colored slacks and short fingerless gloves. His boots of course were the same shade of copper as his shirt. "I guess I must have activated my Power Stone too." He pulled out his stone and held it up. "It's tan not blue."

"I guess no more black for you, buddy," Taichi chuckled as his friend made a face.

Sora stepped towards her boyfriend and grabbed his arm. "I think it looks fitting."

Rosa turned to Sora and Iori then pouted. "I guess we're the only ones left stuck wearing gray."

"I don't mind it," he shrugged.

She rolled her eyes. "With your personality I shouldn't be surprised."

"We'll get there eventually, don't worry but um, can we eat something please?" The red head bit her lip and bowed her head. "And I'm sorry for running off. I wasn't thinking and I got upset….I'm sorry."

Tani lowered her head too. "I apologize as well. I said some things that I should have and…. Sorry."

"Let's do the apology thing later. I'm kind of starved myself." Taichi said earning a few chuckles as he stomach growled. Once the later died down the group decided that it sounded like a good idea and settled down for some much needed rest.

iiiii

The bite of cold nipped at the back of Michael's neck despite the cover of his shoulder length curls. The cave was dim and didn't provide too much protection from the chilling temperatures of the snowstorm outside it. He wished for a nice steaming hot cup of coffee. What he got instead was lukewarm broth left over from his ramen. He made a face and set the cup down.

"What's wrong, Michael?" Mimi blinked at him in wonder from his side. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered slightly. "I wish I had something warmer to wear."

He studied her for a moment then slipped his jacket off and tossed it to her. "Wish granted."

Mimi's mouth fell open in protest. "But what around you? Your shirt even with long sleeves can't be that warm."

The American however shrugged. "I'll be fine."

She stared at him a moment then sighed as she pulled the jacket up close to her. Catherine tilted her head in concern at the young woman but remained silent, glancing briefly at Takeru who was leaned against the wall of the cave with a rather blank expression on his face.

Akina tapped her empty cup on the ground and frowned. She rose to her feet and headed towards the mouth of the cave without a single word to the others.

"I wonder how long we'll have to wait here," Catherine murmured to no one in particular.

A sudden shout from Akina had Koushiro leaping to his feet in a panic. The others stood as well and raced in the direction of her distress-filled cry.

"Oh shit," Michael cursed as everyone came to a halt in front of a thick wall of snow covering the entrance to the cave.

"We're trapped." Akina brought her hands to her mouth fear. Koushiro came up behind her and dropped a comforting hand on her shoulder but said nothing.

"What are we going to do?" Catherine clutched at her heart as though it was about to be torn from her chest.

"Michael?" Mimi looked at him expectantly, her brown eyes shimmering with hope. "You have a plan, right?"

He froze with realization as the other Chosen turned to him as well. They trusted him. They trusted that he would be able to find away out of this predicament and save the day like some kind of hero. The problem was that he never viewed himself as an actual hero. No one ever believed he could be, nor did he actually ever trust anyone to allow him into such a position. Sure Mimi was his girlfriend, but he always held back and suspected that she did as well. But now…. it was different.

For as long as he could remember no one actually expected anything out of him. He was just simply Michael Nicholson. Sure Betamon tried to convince him he was so much more and he even began to believe it but as time went on, his views seemed to change back his old ways of thinking.

As the son of a movie actor he was expected to be a spoiled brat and in some ways he may have been, but that was only because what he really wanted was to know his parents loved him. They seemed so consumed in work that at times he could question whether or not they actually cared what happened to him. Regardless, he never expressed how he felt, kept to the same easygoing attitude around them and everything went smoothly.

Then there was Mimi. Mimi, his one source of light despite whatever happened. She was fearless, smart, and beautiful no matter what anyone said about her. When they were together it seemed as though the world stood still and they were unstoppable…. at least that how it was at first. He couldn't remember when, but slowly things seemed to deteriorate between them.

_You didn't trust her, you idiot, and she knew it._ He scowled at himself. It was so obvious, yet he didn't see it. He didn't trust anyone and they knew it. He wasn't a very good leader because in order to be one you had to trust everyone on the team otherwise it just falls apart. Despite how many times he had been practically stabbed in the back by old friends back in middle school in high school; stealing from him, turning on him and or Mimi, or plainly lying to his face, he had to remember that these were not those same people. Not everyone would push him into the mud, some may even help him out of it on their own accord.

Michael hesitantly shifted his gaze to the Chosen as though afraid of what he would find. _Okay, Takeru. I don't really know him but he's an okay guy and seems to have a thing for Catherine who would seems like the type that wouldn't hurt a fly and yeah he was a bit of an ass, but he seems to have cooled off at least for now. Koushiro… well, he showed he can blow his top but kept it pretty under control…and Mimi has known him since they were kids. Hell, she knew Takeru for the same amount of time. Akina was, as Mimi termed it, a bit bitchy at first, but I guess she had her reasons. And Mimi…_ He smirked as he reflected on the times when they snuck out at night together, often leading to being grounded whenever they were caught. He sighed as the memory faded then set his jaw and he refocused on her. _This is ridiculous. There is absolutely no reason for me not to trust anyone them. We're all Chosen and I guess in some form that makes us all family and unlike my own stupid parents, I'm not turning my back on them. _

"Mimi." The brunette spun around in curiosity as her boyfriend walked briskly towards her, snatched her wrist and yanked her towards him. He smirked then pulled her closer and planted his mouth on hers in a rather breathtaking kiss.

Michael swore the room became brighter as he kissed Mimi. It wasn't until they finally parted; her blushing madly at the fact that they had a gaping audience, that he realized that something was indeed different. "Whoa. Maybe I should kiss you more often. Not meaning to be cheesy but you really brightened my life," he cracked a grin as he examined his clothing. His long sleeved shirt was now a rich emerald green. The jacket draped over Mimi's shoulders, as well as his pants were copper trimmed in a deeper brown that was the same shade as his hiking boots. Interestingly, on his head of curl blonde hair was a green and brown ball cap turned backwards.

Koushiro smiled at the change in his friend. "Do you know what color your Power Stone is?"

"Let me check." He pulled the stone from his pocket then tossed it playfully in the air, caught it and frowned at the tree carved in the center. "Looks like it's kind of coppery, like a penny," he said in reference to the American one-cent piece. "I still don't know what to make of the tree though."

Akina peered over his shoulder then smiled. "It's Trust."

"Trust?" He blinked at her then chuckled. "Well then, lets see if you guys can uphold your trust in me to get us out of here." He studied the wall of snow for a moment then raced back to the part of the cave that they had set camp in and returned with a pile of empty ramen cups.

"What are you doing, Michael?" His girlfriend frowned as he tossed a paper cup at her.

"We dig. It may take some work but hell, if we work together hopefully we can get out of this death trap."

Takeru looked from the cups in Michael's hands to the snow then accepted one as well. "It's worth a shot," he shrugged moving towards the snow.

The others agreed in their own way that digging was their best option so far and with determination grabbed an empty ramen cup and began to dig.

iiiii

The rain fell in heavy torrents drenching the Chosen as they moved briskly through the storm. Jyou gritted his teeth as he hugged himself wishing he could be anywhere but there. Even an exam room sounded more promising than being soaked to the bone.

"I HATE THIS PLACE!" Ami screamed in frustration as she continued crying.

Miyako gritted her teeth, folding her arms more tightly against her chest as she glared at the sobbing girl out of the corner of her eye. It was evident that she didn't like Ami too well.

"It's wearing on me too," Wallace muttered as he kept his head low, leading the others through the rain on their quest to find shelter before anything worse happened.

"With my luck, I'm going to catch pneumonia," Jyou grumbled as he squinted through his water-streaked lenses. Furiously he wiped them with his sleeve but it did little improvement.

"Don't say that. It'll only make matters worse." Ken looked at the elder of the group and shook his head as though he knew those very words could make it come true.

"Yeah, well I don't exactly have much faith in things getting any better."

That very sentence prompted Ken to stop mid-run resulting in his girlfriend skidding and nearly plowing into him. As Miyako screech in shock, Ken grabbed her shoulder and arm, preventing a rather embarrassing collusion from occurring. He looked briefly at Miyako to make sure she was okay then turned swiftly to face Jyou who was staring dumbfounded at him. "What the hell are you saying? Are you just giving up?"

"You don't know me."

"Like hell I don't."

"Ken!" Miyako touched his shoulder and he loosened his tightening grip on her arm.

"I know what's it's like. You don't know what is up or down or what you're really supposed to be doing. I know because if you don't remember I wasn't exactly playing on the right side at the beginning. Don't let your emotions rule you, but don't ignore them either." He paused a moment and took Miyako's hand. "I know it's not just the weather that is bothering you, Jyou."

Jyou slowly nodded, unaware that the rain was falling even harder than before. "I'm the oldest yet I always feel like I'm behind in everything. I'm the shortest, the weakest and most pathetic guy of all. I'm still in med school for crying out loud!"

Ken's eyes softened as he nodded in understanding. "No one ever said you had to be the best or that being the oldest meant you have to be like some sort of superhero."

"Kenny's right." Wallace chimed in with a grin as he draped his arms over the two friends shoulders. "You've just got to be you no matter what anyone says because hey, if you're not Jyou then who are you?"

"Jyou is… nothing. I'm not anything. I'm just nobody."

Miyako rolled her eyes and shoved Wallace's arm off the depressed young man. "Now that's the biggest piece of bullshit that I've ever heard. Look, you're a Chosen Child, and a very important part of the team. You may not see it, but it's true. Now stop doubting yourself and just go with it."

Jyou looked between the three faces shining with determination and promise for him then glanced at Ami who appeared to once again be in her own little world as she stared down at the drenched grass. He closed his eyes for a moment in thought, wishing the rain would end already.

_I am always behind,_ he bitterly thought turning away from the others. His thoughts however drifted towards Gomamon and their first adventures in the Digital World. He could recall how often he wanted to give up, but didn't. Instead he persevered. And when Iori was having difficulty in his role as a Chosen Child, he encouraged the youngster to do his best. He may not have been the bravest, fastest, or even smartest at times, but he did support his friends when they were having doubts of their own. _I can do that. Sure I'm not exactly a leader but it's still important to hold faith in everyone's abilities others we'd get nowhere._

Suddenly a brilliant and warm glow flooded throughout him as he cried out in bewilderment. As it died away, the rainstorm seemed to calm as well.

"Don't know what you did, Jyou, but you must have done something right." Wallace exclaimed with a laugh as he clapped the now speechless young man on the back.

"But- I" he stammered then blinked in surprise to find himself in a dark blue vest a few shades lighter than his shoulder length hair, over a crisp white turtleneck. His corduroy pants were a deep brown and his shoes were black. He scratched his head in confusion then removed his Power Stone from his pocket and started, almost dropping the stone. "It-it's brown! I thought Faith was gray."

"Apparently, the colors of the stones are different, though I'm still confused on that one myself," Ken said softly. He glanced at Ami who was being oddly silent. "Are you okay?"

She blinked and slowly nodded. "Y-yes. I-I…. We should probably find a cave or something before we get trapped in another downpour."

Miyako frowned at the girl's response then shrugged. "Sounds like a good idea."

Wallace nodded. "Right, so let's head out." Together the quintet trudged through the saturated grass in hopes of finding a shelter before anything could happen.

iiiii

Daisuke breathed in deeply, and frowned to discover what should have been fresh ocean air to be rather stale. He shook his head and peered down at Hikari, cradled in his arms appearing so weak and fragile that he was afraid she would shatter into a million pieces if he didn't figure out a way to get them out of there soon. His eyes saddened at the shadows of torment in her eyes. He knew she was in pain, and wished there were someway to take it all away. "Hey, how are you holding up?"

"I'm holding," she gritted her teeth as though it helped lessen the pain in her ankle. "You?"

"Same." He winced at the awkward speech but decided it was probably because it took more effort for Hikari to keep herself from crying than it was to form actual sentences.

She gripped at the shoulder of his jacket and leaned her head into his shoulder, exhaling sharply. Her eyes were wet with unwanted tears, but there was no comment made about them. "I hate being weak."

"You're not weak, Hikari."

"I am now," she said with a sigh. "He made me that way. He incapacitated me to the point where I'm not good for anything."

Daisuke stopped and looked down at the girl in his arms. "Hey, you did a pretty damn good job fighting even though you did get hurt worse in the end. It happens. It doesn't mean you're any weaker than you are because guess what? Strength isn't always a physical thing, it's mental too… you taught me that." The last part came out as only a whisper. "We'll be okay. I don't know how I know, but I just do."

Hikari stared at him for a long time then lifted her head and kissed his cheek in a gesture of thanks. "I-I don't quite know what I feel for you, but…. I-I think I like you. I'm not sure if there is anything more or less but…. Maybe once I get my memories back I'll be able to figure things out a lot better than I am now." She gave him a weak smile as a faint blush tinted her cheeks.

He nodded at her with a pleasant smile of his own but said nothing in return as he began walking along the beach again.

She leaned her face against his shoulder and sighed. "Why couldn't I have met you in high school instead of Nitoni? How the hell did I end up with him anyway?" She touched her head and groaned in frustration. "I'm so confused. Because, because…. I don't know. I just….don't know."

"You'll figure things out," he said softly. Deep down he wished he could confess everything to Hikari, but knew it wouldn't be fair for her. It'd be better for her to remember everything rather than go by the bits and pieces she had already. Either way, he knew that the outlook appeared a lot brighter despite everything that had been happening to them.

"I don't care about my memories anymore. They are in the past. This is the present, the now." She paused a moment as if fighting whether or not she would say what she was about to next. "I want to stay with you."

Daisuke nearly tripped. "Hikari-"

She however looked at him with a deep fire burning in her brown eyes. "I don't want to go back to Kyoto. I just want to be wherever you are. You've done so much for me and I can tell that you like me; at least a little bit. Please don't make me go back there."

"I…" An angry roar from afar caught his attention forcing him to redirect his focus away from Hikari and the conversation. He squinted towards the ocean and froze, nearly dumping the girl cradled in his arms on the coarse sand at the sight of a wave that made Tokyo Tower look like a doghouse. "Shit. Hold on tight, Hikari because we need some distance from that thing and fast."

Hikari looked as well and gasped then secured her arms around Daisuke's neck more firmly as he bolted down the beach in the opposite direction. He swore again however as his feet slid in the sand resulting in him toppling over with Hikari still in his arms. The two hit the gritty surface hard, and skidded a few inches.

The boy stared at the ground, dazed by the cry of agony and fear near him. He suddenly snapped out of it as he regained focus, but by that time it was too late. The last thing he remembered was the lack of salt in the scent of the water as the wave crashed down upon them.

iiiii

Author's Notes: This chapter oddly enough was rather hard to complete. I don't know if it was because there has been just too much going on (moving, schedule changes, and now lack of car) but it was like pulling teeth in some parts.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter and I'll try to get the next one out a lot sooner than this one.

I also appologize for the lack of spaces between sections. for some reason the add ruler button wasn't working I I had to improvise.


	27. Missing Pieces

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 27  
Missing Pieces  
By  
Sailor Janus

"We better get out of here soon or we might end up starving to death," Rosa muttered before biting into a cracker. No one argued as they ate in silence what little they could. Already their food and water rations were running sparse which did not bode well to their survival.

Sora pursed her lips and looked down at the ground. "How long have we been here? Its almost like time has blended together, but our food supply says otherwise."

"Way too long and all we have to show for it is half our Power Stones have been activated but we still have no idea what that means and if it'll help our position at all." Yamato shook his head and crumpled up his wrapper. "I feel like we've been going in circles."

"Might as well have been. Instead of finding answers, all we've found is more questions," Taichi snorted as he leaned back on his arms. "I'd feel a lot better if we knew that Hikari and Daisuke were still alive out there somewhere."

Iori shook his head. "We don't even know if the others are alive either." He narrowed his eyes as he stared down at his hands, unaware that they were slowly balling into fists.

Tani looked at the teenaged boy in concern. "What's wrong, Iori?"

"Nothing." Abruptly he rose to his feet and grabbed his backpack from the ground. "I just need to think." Without another word he left.

The other Chosen exchanged glances as though debating on whether or not to follow him. Yamato ended the silent questions as he shook his head, holding his hands out. "We need to leave him be. He probably has a lot on his mind."

"But-" Rosa began as she moved to stand up.

"Give him some time. Things have been rough for everyone, Iori included and we owe him the respect to give him the privacy he is seeking. He's a smart kid. He'll return."

"Alright." She whispered sinking back down to the ground then nibbled at another cracker in silence.

iiiiii

Iori tilted his head towards the sky, his green eyes an enigmatic mask that lacked any sign of emotion. _What exactly am I? Why am I here to begin with? _Questions swam through his head as he buried his hands deep in his pockets, absently brushing the stone enclosed within. Unlike the others he didn't have a crest of his own. During the days of his youth he had merely possessed the Digimentals of Faith and Knowledge. He didn't represent anything. Not Courage like Taichi, nor Friendship like Yamato or even Harmony as they discovered Tani had. "This is ridiculous. Why am I doubting why I'm a Chosen? There has to be a reason or else I wouldn't be here. But the question still remains, why are we all here? There has to be an answer."

"There is. You just haven't gotten to that part yet." 

Iori spun around and found a lightly cloaked figure standing several feet away. "Who are you?"

_"Is that necessarily important? Will that even justify the reason you are all going through with this hell to fix something that none of you were aware of to prevent complete chaos from taking over? There is so much all of you have to figure out… before it's too late that is."_

"What are you talking about? What's going to happen?"

The mysterious person sadly shook his head. _"More than you can ever imagine. Just remember your heart can help you discern what is fact from what is fiction as well as who to trust."_

Iori stared long and hard at him. "What is right and what is wrong?" He swallowed thickly as he recalled how many times he tried to justify his actions. After his grandfather died, Iori tried to bury his heart from everyone, ending up appearing emotionless and cold. Even when the other Chosen tried to draw him out of his shell, he resisted, resorting to speaking only when he deemed necessary. As a result anger soon followed prompting him to either lash out or not respond at all. Regardless it was a lonely existence.

"I did myself injustice. I chained myself to a mask, imprisoning myself to half of me." He glanced at his wrists and gasped at the chrome shackles encircling them. "No! I'm not going to be a prisoner of my own mind anymore. I will find that child that died when my grandfather had passed away and revive him. I will find the justice he deserves!"

The sound of shattering glass echoed through his ears as he threw his head up. Gone were the cloaked figure and the shackles. Instead he found brilliant colors in what seemed like such a gray world.

Iori glanced down at himself and noted that his shirt was now orange with black stripes, the hem brushing against rich brown pants paired off with black shoes. Oddly he couldn't help but smile as though he were seeing the light of day for the very first time. "Thank you, whoever you are." With that last thought he headed back to the others.

iiiiii

"I'm so bored just sitting around waiting for Iori to get back. Can't we just go find him and continue this crazy adventure?" Taichi pouted as he leaned back and wagged his foot impatiently.

Yamato chuckled at his best friend. "You really haven't changed one bit."

"He probably never will," Sora smiled delicately as she brushed a lock of hair from her eyes.

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" Taichi scratched his nose and sat up unaware of the blades of grass that his girlfriend had used to decorate his thick brown hair with. He raised an eyebrow as everyone began snickering. "What?"

He never got an answer as they were greeted by an even more unusual sight. Rosa immediately bolted upright at the appearance of the normally stoic teenaged boy who was now dressed in color and wearing a small smile on his face. Her jaw dropped as he approached the stunned group.

"Well, it appears that the time was well spent considering that you seem to have activated your Power Stone. Congratulations." Yamato bowed his slightly and clapped the boy on the shoulder.

"So what color is your stone?" Tani inquired as her boyfriend glared at her when a single blade of grass fell on his shoulder. He lifted his hand and yanked out several more.

Iori pulled his stone out and held it towards her. "Its evident that it's orange-"

"My old color!" Taichi grinned despite the grass still in his hair.

"-But I don't know what it symbolizes."

She looked at what resembled a pair of scales etched on its surface then nodded. "It's Justice. I've seen this symbol before. I just can't remember where."

"It's definitely fitting though," Sora smiled.

Tani helped a now disgruntled Taichi remove the rest of the grass tangled in his hair and gave him her most innocent smile. He smirked at her in turn then took the end of her bandana and flipped it over her face. "I guess I deserved that."

"Now I understand what Armadimon had been trying to tell me all those years. If only I had listened." The kendo expert sighed.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. If we all had done what we should have then we wouldn't be here right now."

Sora nodded in agreement with Tani's words. "Well, now what?" She glanced toward the still silent Rosa who shrugged in response.

"I guess we continue walking until the next big threat occurs," Taichi said as he lifted his backpack from the ground, swung it on and started off. The others exchanged looks and followed, each curious about what they might face next.

iiiiii

Takeru brushed the icy flakes of snow from his face with numb fingers and continued to dig. It seemed like hours had gone by yet the chilled group of Chosen had made little progress since they had first picked up the empty ramen cups to use as make-shift shovels. "I can barely feel anything in my hands," he grumbled sniffling slightly.

"You should take a break then. It's not going to do anyone any good if you get frost bite," Mimi said as she scooped up another cup full of snow.

"But if I do then everyone would have to work that much harder," he argued.

Michael breathed on his hands and rubbed them frantically together. "But you aren't wearing any type of protection on your hands. I at least found some fingerless gloves in my backpack which barely do shit as far keeping my hands warm, but at least it's something."

"Fine." Takeru threw his cup down and retreated to the wall where Akina was sitting. She too lacked any form of gloves and seemed to be having the same problem dealing with the cold that Takeru was.

Catherine looked over her shoulder and gave him a tiny smile. "Takeru?"

He said nothing and instead dug through his bag. She stared at him a moment then turned away, her expression now somber.

Mimi looked between the two and sighed, then returned back to work muttering to herself.

"What I wouldn't give for a flame thrower about now." Michael readjusted his hat and heaved a deep breath.

"Me too," Koushiro nodded firmly still scooping away at the wall of snow.

"I think even my snot is frozen."

Mimi gasped at her boyfriend in repulsion. "Michael! That's disgusting!"

He grinned at her. "Yeah but it gives me an idea." Michael retreated from the wall and retrieved his backpack, quickly rummaging through it until he pulled out his lighter. "Let's see if this does anything." He headed back to the wall and flicked it until a flame burst to life on the end.

The others paused and watched curiously as flame danced near the giant mass of the snow. Unfortunately, the results were less than satisfying as a tiny portion of snow melted and dripped to the ground below.

"Well… that was impressive," Takeru said dryly. "Look, Michael. I think you made a pool big enough for a cricket."

"Shut up and get your lighter. You too, Mimi. Some fire plus more digging should get us out of here a lot quicker."

The two Chosen Children hesitated for a moment then did as they were ordered. Soon three small flames melted at the snow as the others continued digging.

Mimi glanced at Akina who was struggling to shovel more snow. She walked towards the young woman and handed her the lighter. "This might be a little more user friendly for you."

"Th-thank you," she stuttered accepting the lighter.

"Too bad we can't make a torch or something."

"We can't risk asphyxiation from the smoke it would create," Koushiro explained digging even faster than before. "As it is, we're still at risk just being trapped here."

"Don't think about and keep going," Catherine urged as she shoved a mass of curls out of her face. "We're going to get out of here. We just can't give up."

Takeru looked grimly at the snow as if he was going to argue with her but instead waved his lighter in front of ht snow, melting it bit by bit.

The others agreed and continued worked in an even more urgent pace pleading that they could see blue sky once again. However just as they had finally made some leeway, the giant wall of snow crumpled burying its captives beneath it.

iiiiii

"I…am…so…sick of this!" Ami bit back a sob as she trailed behind the others scaling up a rock and shell encrusted hill. Her shoes did little good against the slippery and rough terrain. For once she was grateful that she wasn't wearing her usual sandals. _When was the last time I wore them?_ She paused a moment not realizing that she was falling backwards until a firm grip captured her wrist.

"It's not a good idea to daydream," Jyou said pulling her up.

Her blue-green gaze met his dark one and once again she froze, unaware that she was slipping once again.

"AMI!"

"Huh?" Her head snapped up as Jyou grabbed her other wrist. He sighed in exasperation and shook his head.

Miyako blinked at the girl and ran a hand down her face. "She really is a space case."

Ken looked over his shoulder and urged his girlfriend onward. "This is not exactly the safest place to stop."

"Try telling that to the brat in the back. I don't think there has been even one instance that she didn't cause trouble. High maintenance if you ask me."

Wallace lost his footing from the head of the group and skidded back a few inches before regaining some stability. "This really sucks."

"Just be careful," Jyou said as he released Ami and began climbing once again.

"Easier said than…DONE!" She screeched as the rock beneath her feet gave way causing her to slide backwards on her knees as she tried to catch herself with her hands. Bursts of pain seeped from the cuts on her legs and palms from the sharp rocks and shells. She brought a fist down on the ground and screamed for all she was worth.

Miyako shoved a braid of hair from her face and marched as best she could towards the tantrum throwing Chosen. "Will you just grow up? You are the most self-absorbed baby I have ever met! Just how the hell you became a Chosen is beyond me because you don't act like it."

Ami opened her mouth to protest but one word cut her deep. Self-absorbed. _Was I always like this? _She remembered being sensitive towards Shina's stunts but… didn't she try to relate to how everyone was feeling somehow? She knew when Tani was upset or when Akina was excited. No matter what her personal mood was, she tried to put them first. Something, somewhere had changed and she didn't know why or how.

Suddenly the red head felt herself falling as she stared into Miyako's angry eyes, but made no motion to react. Instead she allowed herself to plunge down the large dangerous hill, her mind numb to the pain of each slice to her tender flesh as it made contact with shell and rock. The others could only watch in stupefied horror as she finally reached the bottom. The only words that echoed in her head were 'I'm sorry.'

iiiiii

"Ami! You have to be more careful," Tani scolded her younger sister.

The girl blinked as she was helped up from the floor of the mountain cave. She smoothed back her glossy black hair and stared at the others in puzzlement.

"She'll be fine," Elecmon chuckled from her side.

"Whatever. Once a klutz. Always a klutz," Shina snorted flipping her long dark bangs from her brown eyes.

"Shina, she's your sister. Be nice," Tani said sending a look of disapproval towards her sibling. She gave an apologetic smile to Penmon who was wincing at yet another argument.

The shorter haired girl however would not stand down. "Only if you stop being so high and mighty," she countered with a glare.

Ami glanced helplessly towards Akina who remained quiet along side her partner Shakomon. It was very evident that she didn't want to get engaged in another fight either. The younger of the triplets drew a deep breath and stepped between the two. "Will both of you stop? Tani is just watching out for us like Mom and Dad have told her to. She's not saying she's better than us. She's just trying to help."

"Ami has a point," Akina said softly. "And I think it's a good point. Tani is our older sister and Mom and Dad have practically carved it into her brain that she's supposed to take care of us when they're not around. And I don't see either of them here so Tani is trying to do the best she can."

Shina growled and stalked away.

iiiiii

_I really was sympathetic. That's why I never fought back with Shina or argued with Tani. I understood why they did what they did. I don't want to be so self-absorbed anymore that I can't see what's in front of my nose. I want to be …me._

Ami opened her eyes and froze in shock at finding the other Chosen gathered around her, each wearing an expression of concern and surprise on their faces. She blinked and without thinking threw her arms around Jyou. "I'm sorry! I really have been a brat and I'm so sorry. You're right, Miyako. I have been awful but I'm really not like that."

Wallace chuckled. "We kinda got that. Why don't you check yourself out?"

Ami frowned then glanced at her gloved hands and immediately pushed away from the med student. "Oh wow!" She was now dressed in a magenta colored sundress with turquoise gloves and knee-high socks and magenta colored dress shoes. Her hair even had a slight burgundy tint to it. She yanked her stone from her bag and squealed. "I have Sympathy back!"

"Well, good for you," Miyako nodded and glanced at the others then stepped back awkwardly. "I'm glad to hear it."

Ken tried to catch his girlfriend's eye, but she looked away. "Well, I suppose we should continue on." He stopped a moment and narrowed his eyebrows at Ami. "I would expect your body to be covered in cuts and bruises, but I see no sign of them."

"Freaky." Wallace scratched his head then shook it. "Well, no time like the present. Onward troops!"

The others exchanged glances and followed, deciding that the best decision they could make was to keep going.

iiiiii

Brown eyes flew open as a sharp gasp sounded from Hikari's swollen throat. She winced at the gritty sand that seemed to be trying to seal her windpipe as she struggled at another attempt to breathe. Her eyes stung, pain throbbed through her head as she fought to refrain from panicking. All she knew was that she was very cold and trying to keep her head above the surface of a large pool of water. The most troubling thing was that she was alone. Very alone.

Hikari opened her mouth to call out for Daisuke but instead began choking on the mixture of water and sand. _Where am I? How did I get here? Where's Daisuke?_

"You truly are a pathetic little girl," an all too familiar voice said with mock pity.

"I am not," the brunette said softly knowing full well that it was the same young woman who seemed to enjoy tormenting her from the very beginning when Hikari had first arrived in that horrible place. She clenched her jaw a moment then turned to face the darkly shrouded female. "Tell me where Daisuke is."

"I don't know what you talking about. Surely, you must be delusional," she replied with an innocent shrug.

Hikari's eyes darkened as she narrowed them. "I don't have time for your sick games. Tell me where he is. Now!"

"Ooh. The little pussycat has claws. You know, you are so much fun to get a rise out of. This is much better than the 'Poor me, I can't remember anyone. I think I'll just fade away,' attitude." The woman cackled then folded her arms over her chest. "Little Yagami Hikari and her band of nitwits. You people really make me sick." A deadly glint appeared in her blue eyes as she stared at the infuriated teen. "You know, I'll bet that brother of yours is probably even more idiotic in person. Same thing goes with the blonde or shall I say the blonde rock star wannabe."

Hikari's jaw dropped as she fought to get a word in but the woman continued on.

"You know, you should really be careful what you put on a web page. Never know when it might fall in the wrong hands."

"But I-" Images of a website she had created many years back flashed through her mind. Images that included the people that she had met in the park that were determined to help her recover her memories.

"Quite a little shutterbug, weren't you? Too bad you'll probably never take another picture ever again."

Hikari closed her eyes wishing she could do something anything. Suddenly an intense pain flooded her leg as she hit the ground. She opened her eyes and frowned at finding no sign of the spiteful young woman. Hikari shook her head and peered around. Her heart nearly stopped at the sight of Daisuke lying in a pile of sand. Tears of fear, relief, and pain filled her eyes as she crawled over to him. "Daisuke! Daisuke, please wake up."

When she finally reached him his eyes were closed as he lay there motionless. Hikari bit her lip and gently shook his shoulder. "Daisuke, please don't be dead. Wake up!"

A moment later his eyes fluttered open. He remained quiet for a minute as the girl before him moved to throw her arms around him in joy. His next words however caused her to freeze in her tracks. "Who are you?"

Her breath caught in her throat as she choked on a sob. "Daisuke?"

"Where am I? I-I don't remember anything. I-" He touched his head and glanced around. "Nothing looks familiar. Did I get hit with a soccer ball too hard or something?"

"Your name is Motomiya Daisuke and I don't know where we are but I'm Yagami Hikari…Your friend," she tried to say as calmly as possible despite the shakiness in her voice.

"Friend?" He looked at her face and ran a hand through his hair. "I-I don't remember you."

_Maybe this is how he felt._ She thought sadly as the overwhelming sense of loss began to consume her. She hugged herself and struggled against the tears.

"Are you okay?" He dropped his gaze to her swollen ankle and gaped at it. "Man, that looks bad. No wonder you look like you're ready to cry. Can you even walk? Do you want me to help? Here let me help you." Daisuke climbed to his feet and lifted the now sobbing girl in his arms, visually examining her ankle. "Damn. We're going to have to get you to a doctor. What happened? Where is the nearest hospital?" He made a face. "I hate hospitals, but for this I'll make an exception."

Hikari stared lifelessly at her knees as though her spirit were no more. At that moment she felt like a part of her had died and that there was no point to go on. _I'm sorry, Daisuke. If you regain your memory I promise, no, swear that I'll do everything I can to regain mine._

"Are you okay? You're not going into shock, are you? Damn this sucks not having any idea what is going on."

"Let's just find someplace safe."

"Aye, aye, M'lady."

A tiny smile crossed Hikari's lips as a single tear ran down her cheek. She drew a deep breath and closed her eyes wishing, striving for their memories to be recovered soon.

iiiiii

Candle flames flickered as the darkly cloaked young woman was thrown into a hard metallic table. Her blue eyes filled with horror as a firm fist struck her face.

"What do you think this is? Some childish game?" The voice was deep and violent through the crimson gaze that bore down upon her. "The others are growing stronger and you can't even kill one simple girl? I should kill you myself instead."

The young woman lifted her head as the dark hood fell back revealing spiky deep violet chin length hair. She glared at her attacker and pushed her hair from her face. "I'm not done yet. I'm getting closer. Just give me time."

"I have given you all the time and tools you need, child, yet you keep faltering!"

"The Child of Light is injured in more ways than one. Physically, Mentally, Spiritually. It's only the matter of time…."

"Something you lack."

The young woman pulled her hood back over her head. "You underestimate. I WILL finish this and those stupid Chosen will be no more. They will pay and pay dearly for all they have done." She stood up and bowed at her boss then headed down the hall without a glance back.

_"He's just concerned, dear one."_ An elegant feminine voice seemed to dance through her head.

She pursed her lips and continued walking. "Will all of you get off my back? I know what I am doing so leave me the hell alone!"

_"Remember who is in charge of this ordeal."_

"You are." A malicious smirk crossed her lips. "But I'm the one pulling the strings."

iiiiii

Author's Notes: Despite this having bee done pretty much a week ago, it isn't until now that I actually manage to get the silly thing typed up. I really need to try not to get sick. That kinda set everything back. Oh well.

Hope you enjoyed the newest installment.


	28. Sparks of Life

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 28  
Sparks of Life  
By  
Sailor Janus

The wind stirred as Taichi led the others through yet another cluster of trees. Tani watched a deep green leaf flutter to the ground and stared at it as she came to a pause.

"What's wrong?" Sora dropped a hand on the young woman's shoulder as she sent her an inquiring look.

"I-I don't know. I feel strange. Not sick, but something else… It's hard to explain." She touched her head lightly as if it were about to be assaulted by a migraine but no pain followed. She swayed slightly, but manage to maintain her balance thanks to Taichi who steadied her before she could collapse.

Yamato scowled as an odd speculation came to his mind. "Would this have anything to do with your sisters?"

"No. Yes. Maybe. I don't know." She winced and suddenly her knees began to buckle. A sharp gasp escaped her throat but once again, Taichi was a step ahead and caught her, then eased her to the ground. Iori handed her his last water bottle, which slipped from her shaky grasp.

"Tani." Taichi took her face in his hands as it fell forward. Worry flooded his eyes as he tried to keep her upright. "Shit. What the hell is wrong with her?"

"I don't know… but I don't like this," Sora murmured, unaware that she was now clutching onto Yamato's hand.

Iori nodded gravely. "This is reminding me of Hikari's spells but it's not the same thing."

Taichi's jaw hardened at the mention of his little sister. "Those assholes are not going to get their hands on Tani too and they better not have hurt Hikari or I'll rip them apart with my bare hands."

"Easy, Taichi. We're not even certain that this has anything to do with the World of Darkness or Dagomon for that matter." His best friend shook his head, trying to talk some sense into their now infuriated leader before things could get out of hand.

Rosa blinked in confusion. "I think I'm out of the loop on this one."

"You're not the only one. " Tani gave her a weak smile that sent her head spinning. She fought back the nausea as she sip on some water. "I don't think I've ever felt like this before…"

The wind picked up even stronger as the group stood, kneeled or sat gathered around the seemingly ill Chosen. Leaves and pollen flew around them unnoticed as they concentrated on trying to find a cure to Tani's ailment.

Iori frowned as he looked up at the darkening sky. "This doesn't look good."

"Do you suppose that everything is related somehow? Tani being sick, the freak storms, us being trapped here," Sora questioned. "I know it's reaching a bit, but we don't have much to go on."

Yamato rubbed his chin in thought. "You might have something there."

"I can't remember….. I can't… why can't I remember?" Tani mumbled to herself, her skin nearly as white as a freshly starched sheet.

"Remember what? Tani?" Taichi held her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "What can't you remember?"

"It-it was fourteen years ago… no… eleven now… computer system… time… damn it." She gritted her teeth in frustration and withdrew a deep breath. "It's … like my memory has been broken into a puzzle and all the pieces that connect the other pieces together are missing. I can't put anything together. Not from eleven years ago or eight…or seven….six…or one…What's wrong with me?"

"What the hell is going on here?" Taichi moved to stand up and begin pacing, but Yamato shoved him back down.

He shook his blonde head at his friend and began to pace himself. "When you look at the big picture, everything is a puzzle. The concept of everything being related may not be as far off as we may think."

"We just need to find a way to piece everything together." Iori agreed as he too tried to fit everything together. "To start with we have Hikari who had disappeared for several years then was found by Daisuke only to learn that she had lost her memory of anything having to do with Digimon including us aside from her own brother. Then we have Tani and her sisters who were trapped here for three years by their own sister."

"We later end up separated and fighting to survive in a Digimonless Digital World in search for Power Stones and end up activating them somehow along the way," Sora added. "All because we wanted to help Hikari piece back together her memories."

"However she and Daisuke had somehow disappeared and no one knows what had happened to them," Yamato said as he continued pacing. "I have a sick feeling that all of this might revolve around Hikari but I'm not sure how."

Taichi glared at his friend's suggestion. "Are you trying to say that my little sister is behind all of this?"

"No. But for some reason everything centers around her. She was also one of the first Chosen and in hindsight has been involved in everything having to do with Digimon from the very beginning."

"Fine. You have a point. But how does that explain what's happening now, especially to Tani?"

"I don't know. I don't think anyone does except maybe whoever is behind this. For now all we can really do is try to continue on."

Iori scowled as his focus remained unmoved from the portions of sky he could see through the tree limbs. "Then I suggest we consider all this as we continue moving because it looks like we might be hit by another storm and I have a bad feeling about this one."

Rosa looked up as well and pursed her lips as she shivered. "He's right. This doesn't look good. It's kinda of greenish."

"Green?" Ice seemed to streak down Tani's spine as her head shot up. Her eyes widen in horror and she struggled to scramble to her feet. "We have to get out of here. We have to get out of here. We have to get out of here." She wavered a bit and nearly fell forward but grabbed onto Taichi's arm to balance herself.

"What's wrong?" He looked at her panic-stricken face as she swore out loud.

"We're in BIG trouble that's what. She's going to kill us. I can't believe she's actually going to try to kill us. Oh shit!"

"Tani, get a hold of yourself!" He shook her firmly but gently as tears flooded her brown eyes.

She whimpered and sniffled as her adrenaline began to skyrocket. "She's toyed with us long enough. I don't know why she's doing what she's doing and damn my stupid memory but trust me when I say that we are in deep shit if we don't get out of this death trap now! My memory sucks but this isn't the first time that something like this has happened."

"Who are you talking about?" Sora asked, trying to control the quivering in her voice at the young woman's radiating fear.

"My sister. No more talk. We've got to move!" The wind grew stronger as Tani spoke, the nervous tone in her normally calm voice putting everyone on edge as she tore through the forest without a second word. Regardless of how insane she seemed to be acting the others followed suit, unaware of what they were about to be challenged with next.

* * *

Large piles of snow sat lifelessly at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly, something began to stir from beneath the surface. A shock of blonde hair burst free as Michael blinked through his ice crusted lashes. He continued unburying himself until he could finally move more freely. A growl escaped his raw throat as he touched his head. "Damn it. I lost my hat."

A moment later two white-gloved hands followed by a mass of tangled brown locks broke through the snow as Mimi stumbled towards her boyfriend. "You mean this?" She held out the frozen cap and winced, wiggling in discomfort. "I think snow went down my shirt. This really sucks."

He chuckled in amusement at her face. "At least you're alive."

"But it's in my bra!"

"It'll melt. We're already human Popsicles as it is," He shrugged frowning at his soaked hat.

"But it's cold!"

Michael scowled in confusion at the lack of an audience. "Where are the others?"

As if on cue, an arm and a head of red hair popped up. Koushiro's nose twitched as he suddenly sneezed. "We should have anticipated something like this happening." He brushed the snow from his shirt and sighed. His dark eyes abruptly widened as he leapt up in surprise then tripped, falling as a shout soon followed.

Takeru jerked through the pile of snow and glared clutching his side. "Those were my kidneys." He flinched in pain and swore silently.

"Sorry. I didn't know you were there," Koushiro admitted apologetically.

"Don't worry about it."

Catherine's drenched curls soon appeared from behind the others as she dug herself free. I don't think I like snow very much. I am absolutely freezing." She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.

Takeru bit his lip as he gazed at the trembling French girl before turning away. "I don't think we'll be able to find our stuff buried under all this snow."

Mimi groaned at the mere thought of it. "I really don't feel like digging anymore. My back is killing me as it is." She dusted herself off and stamped a foot. "I better not get hypothermia or I'll get majorly pissed if I don't go into a coma first."

Michael wrapped his arms around his girlfriend in an attempt to warm each other up when a sudden thought struck him. "Wait. Where's Akina?"

The others fell silent and turned to the red head then glanced down at the snow. Michael pulled away from Mimi and cursed before he dove towards the mass of white piles around and under them as he begun frantically digging.

"You don't think she's dead." Catherine's bright blue eyes flooded as she knelt and clawed at the snow in search for her missing friend.

"Don't think about it," Takeru urged throwing clumps of snow over his shoulder.

Only Mimi glanced up from her work and witnessed the sheer look of devastation wash over Koushiro's paling face as he stared deathly at the snow. "Koushiro." She stood up and reached a head out towards him but he evaded it, tossing a mask of determination over his features and begun silently digging for the missing young woman.

* * *

Light green eyes glanced around with a disoriented gaze. "What…happened?" Akina sat up and shoved her ebony hair from her face. Her head was pounding and she had an unnerving urge to be sick. She weakly sat up, swaying slightly as she tried to contain the contents of her stomach. The cave wall in frot of her was vaguely familiar but she could not recall where she had seen it before. "Did I die?"

_"Not yet."_ A soft voice murmured from a far.

The young woman cleared her dry throat and slowly rose to her feet. "It certainly seems like it."

_"Don't give up so soon. You are different than most of the others, yes, but that doesn't have to be a negative."_

Akina snorted shaking her head. "What good is being the Chosen of Time? I should have just let Shina have it like she wanted."

_"Time is what you make of it,"_ the voice whispered soothingly.

"Then tell me how you found such value in it."

A glimmer of white appeared from the corner of the young woman's eye. _"I did not have Time. I wouldn't necessarily know. Great challenges may come your way and the only way to survive is to trust who you are. Find what you lost and fight again."_

Akina considered the words and decided that weirder things had happened. Especially the form of a wide eyed Shakomon. Her face softened as she recalled her digital friend who always had the best advice in the most sticky of situations, especially in regards to Shina. She pursed her lips and closed her eyes. Perhaps she had to be accepted at face value, just like time. She was always good at managing it, which drove her siblings nuts. "I have to accept what was rather than wish that I could go back and change things. What's done is done but just because you can't change the past, it doesn't mean that you can't change the present. I understand now."

A sharp gasp escaped her throat as ice seemed to flood through her veins and suddenly she became aware that she was no longer where she previously was when she had been speaking to the mysterious person.

"I think I see her!" A thickly accented voice shouted, echoing slightly in Akina's foggy brain.

"Hustle. Hustle. Hustle!" A more masculine voice ordered.

"Michael, this isn't football."

"No, it's the game of life and death, now hurry!"

"Will you all just shut up and dig!"

_Shiro._ Akina became aware of something sliding against her cheek. She winced at the stinging sensation that next followed. She drew a breath in discomfort and held it.

"Is she alright?" The French accented voice questioned worriedly.

"Her skin isn't blue and since when did she activate her Power Stone?"

The young woman's eyes flew open as she sat up startling her rescuers. She turned her attention to her clothing and noted that her sleeveless v-neck shirt was now a rust color layered over a long olive green sleeved shirt with a thick black stripe running down from her shoulders to her cuffs. Her loose fitting pants were also the same olive green color flowing down to her black and rusty orange colored sneakers. Akina bit her lip then leapt towards Koushiro, throwing her arms around him as she clutched his shirt. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I should have told you everything from the beginning but I couldn't because I was either too ashamed or couldn't remember."

The red head stood stunned for a moment before he returned the gesture, hugging her back. "It-it's okay, Akina. I'm just glad you're okay. I was afraid you died and…. you didn't."

She smiled as she pulled back and took her stone out of her pocket and held it up to him. The hourglass-like etchings glowed brilliantly against the olive green of the stone. "I am the Chosen of Time and because of that, my sister Shina always despised me. I still can't remember much but that might be because I'm missing my crest but…. We're all in danger because of her ever since my sisters and I fell into the Digital World." Akina turned the others as well as she pushed the stone back in her pocket. "I don't know if anyone remembers the day a missile was fired off from a US military base nearly ten years or so ago that was targeted for Japan, Odaiba to be exact."

Koushiro's eyes flickered as he reached out and grabbed her shoulder, squeezing it tight. "That was done by a Keramon. That wasn't…"

"Who do you think Shina's digimon was?"

As soon as the words left her lips the mountain began to rumble. Akina's eyes widened in horror. "I wasn't supposed to remember that. We have to get out of here now!" She snatched Koushiro by the hand and stumbled through the snow.

"What about our stuff? It's still buried!" Mimi yelled after the frightened Chosen.

"Forget it and run!"

The others raced after Akina, unaware of the danger they were soon about to face.

* * *

Rain fell lightly upon the Chosen as they trailed through the thick sand. Wallace exhaled deeply and wiped at his face, as he led the others. His blue eyes were filled with uncertainty as he blindly wandered. "This would be easier if I knew where the hell I was going."

"You're doing fine," Ken reassured him, pulling his damp locks from his face.

"Yeah, but I just have a bad feeling that I'm screwing up some how." The American shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"We'll let you know when we're about to die," Jyou replied as he squinted through his smeared lenses. "I really wish I had contact lenses. Miyako was definitely smart in getting them. Wish I thought of it."

"Huh?" The lavender haired teen looked blankly at him as though she had just awoke from a long sleep.

Ken glanced at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"You don't sound fine."

She gritted her teeth and picked up her pace, walking briskly ahead of him. "I am."

Ami blinked and clenched her hands together as though she were unsure of what to say. Finally she drew a breath and whispered to the girl, "Don't worry. You'll find your way soon as well."

Miyako glared back at the red head. "Butt out."

"I-"

Jyou grabbed her hand and shook his head. "Leave her be, Ami. She seems to have a lot on her mind."

"But-" She sighed and continued to hold his hand. Her blue-green eyes sparked with life like an ocean before a storm was about to stir. "She created a virus that affected a digimon…. A chocomon."

Wallace froze and slowly spun around. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I- I just remembered for some reason. It's like the memory was locked away and was somehow released." Ami squeezed her eyes closed and she touched her head. "I don't think Shina is going to be too happy that I remembered that, but it might also mean that Tani and Akina might be remembering things too."

"Chocomon was my digimon. And if you had anything to do with what happened to him then I will not hesitate to retaliate," he growled stepping closer to her.

Ken shoved him back keeping one hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Easy. There is not reason to threaten her when she's going through just as much if not more grief than you have."

Jyou looked at Ami as well. "Wait, your sister was behind his digimon's abduction of us?"

"I don't remember the details but please believe me when I say that Tani, Akina, and I had nothing to do with it. We tried to stop her but…. We were too late. Shina always displayed strong emotions. Unfortunately they were usually negative."

"Just how much had your sister done to make our lives miserable and where the hell did she get the power from because there is no way that she could be working alone?" Miyako's brown eyes were narrowed and alert and she dropped her hands on her hips with a look that said she was going to kick someone's butt one way or another.

"I don't know. She never told us anything." Ami shifted nervously from one foot to another as the rain began to fall harder. "I don't know why she is so angry but I'm honestly afraid of her."

Jyou squeezed her arm. "We're not going to let her hurt you."

"I just feel like I should have been able to do something to prevent all of this. Wait… that's what Tani would say. I'd sit there and tell her it's not her fault and Akina would agree with a reminder that you can't change time….I miss them."

"You'll see them again," Ken smiled then fell serious. "She sounds worse than me when I was going through my Digimon Kaiser issue. She is aware of what she is doing even more so than I was. I was a monster, but she is even worse from what you have told us."

Ami dropped her gaze to the ground. "For some reason, she enjoys making others miserable. I can't understand why, nor can my other sisters. I don't understand it." Soft tears fell from her eyes joining the falling raindrops. "She's my sister and my enemy and the fact of the matter is that it kills me every time I think about it. I don't know why she hates us or how to stop her from going any further with her malicious intentions before it destroys everything, but I'm afraid that it might be too late."

No one said anything for a moment. Wallace glanced up at the sky and frowned as the wind picked up. "Shit. The weather keeps getting worse. We better get out of here before we get hit with the thunder storm or worse, a hurricane."

The other Chosen agreed and began their hike through the sand, each with their mind swimming with terrifying thoughts of what might happen next.

* * *

Daisuke bowed his head against the wind and rain as he stumbled through the sticky mud that caked up the bottoms of his boots. He gritted his teeth as he clung to the girl in his arms, her own wrapped securely around his neck. He wished he knew where he was and why they were trapped in a building storm in a place that didn't seem to have anything that resembled a shelter. No houses, no stores, not even a gas station. How was he supposed to find help for the girl when there was none to be found? He heaved a sigh in frustration and wished for a wall to bang his head against. Maybe that would dislodge something useful.

"We'll get out of this somehow," she said weakly in his ear.

There was something familiar about her but something else was blocking him from pinpointing what it was. Instead he found himself fighting against a strong wind that was trying desperately to rip her from his arms. "Yeah," he said through his clenched teeth despite feeling as though he were in a losing battle.

Suddenly a particularly strong gust set Daisuke skidding and soon he was falling down a mud slicked hill tumbling head over heels. After bruising what felt like every single body part, he finally came to a stop face down in a puddle of mud. Preferring not to drown he rolled over with the last bit of his strength, and closed his eyes.

_"Damn. You're more pathetic than I was."_

Brown eyes shot open and stared in disbelief at the white-cloaked figure standing at his feet. "Who… are you?"

_"Doesn't matter. What matters is that you need to get your ass gear and start remembering who you are."_

"Easy for you to say," Daisuke snorted as he ran a hand through his muddy hair. "You don't have amnesia like I do."

_"It's not an excuse for you to drop your guard. The girl is gone by the way and now you have to remember who you are so you can find her."_

"What?" Panic shone vividly in his eyes and he looked at the figure in horror. "How do you know?"

_"She's not here." The figure shook their head. "Think. Who are you? If you want to help her, you have to remember or else you're better off dead."_

Daisuke leapt to his feet with a snarl. "Hey! I will roll over and die when I'm damn good and ready but that's not coming any time soon."

_"How do you know? How do you know anything?"_

"I-I don't know. I just know I seem to have an uncanny ability to improve the worst of situations. You know, when all the chips are down, I seem to find a way to make things better." He shrugged as an ill feeling flooded through his gut over the lost girl. _I can't feel sorry for myself. That's nit right. I have to help her and I know she's counting on me. I'm the only one she can count on. I help her in whatever way I can and I will succeed because that is what I must do. There is no room for failure. Not when a life is involved. And definitely not hers. _Hikari's face filled his mind, easing the queasiness in his stomach.

_"And why is that?"_

"Because I'm the Chosen of Miracles," Daisuke seemed to gloat. His eyes widen and blinked dumbfounded. "Wait. I'm the Chosen of Miracles. I remember. That and… Hikari. Shit. Where the hell is she….wait…. I remember. I remember. I REMEMBER!" He turned to grin at the mysterious figure, but found that he was alone. "Weird." He reached up to scratch his head but froze at the sight of his brown gloved hands. Daisuke glanced down at himself and swore again. His jacket was now a bright blue with the zig-zag pattern in the sleeves resembling flames followed by a deep black from his elbows on down. His shirt was also black with red, yellow and orange in the stripes and a red collar. A brown belt and blue cargo pants followed next as well as brown hiking books. Daisuke had to admit, it was much better that the bland gray he was formerly clothed in.

He grinned and shoved a hand through his bangs then froze and finding resistance. He tugged at what felt like a strap then pulled it down over his face to his neck and discovered a pair of black goggles with reddish orange lenses. "I have goggles again! I'm a leader and…. shit I'm getting sidetracked. I've got to find Hikari before something bad happens to her."

Without a second thought he took off running blindly hollering her name with every few steps he took. _I refuse to give her up. Not when I've finally got her back and if I find out who the hell is screwing with us I'm going to make hamburger meat out of them. _An odd urge struck him as he came to a stop and pulled out the strange stone he had found. It glowed a brilliant blue that seemed strangely comforting. He stared at it a moment then dropped his gaze towards Hikari's dim gray bag. He quickly grabbed her D3, D-terminal, the stuffed cat, and the stone she found as well and shoved the two electronic devices in his now blue bag and pocketed her stone. With that done he began his search once again.

After a few steps however he paused as a strange burning sensation flooded the pocket of his jeans. He quickly pulled out the two stones and stared at them in bewilderment. "What the hell?" His stone seemed to fade while Hikari's pulsed with sparks of color rapidly growing cooler the longer he looked at it. "Damn it, what is going on? V-mon would probably say they want to play Hot/Cold but…." He frowned as he thought of his missing digital friend. He closed his eyes and clasped the stones together in his hands as if in saying a prayer. "Please show me the way to Hikari. If being the Chosen of Miracles will help then I'll provide enough belief to allow that miracle to come true."

Hikari's stone cooled a fraction more as Daisuke's dimmed. He spun around, watching the stones carefully. "Which way to Hikari?"

A slight spark flashed from his stone as he faced a group of mountains in the distance. Hikari's stone too warmed his hand a bit before fading slightly. A smile crept up on his lips as he headed forward, noting the growing brightness and heat. "It's working. Hang on, Hikari. I'm coming." With those last words he started off again, hoping she'll be alright until he could reach her.

* * *

Author's Notes: I have to say that this chapter was hard to write. Nothing really came out the way I've expected and being sick for a few days didn't help my cause much either. Concerning the last chapter, I seriously didn't expect Daisuke to get hit with amnesia, it just happened. Same thing goes with how he broke out of it.

The mysteries of the sisters are finally coming to light. And no, I didn't expect for them to being to remember things the way they did either yet they still only remember bits and pieces.

And for those inquiring how many more chapters for this story, I'd say at least three if not four. It's been quite a ride I'd have to say and yet it's not over yet.

Hope you enjoyed my installment. More is yet to come.


	29. Brewing Trouble

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 29  
Brewing Trouble  
By  
Sailor Janus

The wind blew stronger as the Chosen raced passed tree after tree, a very frantic Tani in the lead. The sky above them was darkening with unwelcoming shades of green. Neither were friendly signs.

"What is going on?" Rosa shouted in a mix of fear and irritation over not knowing what the elder girl was so paranoid about.

"In simple terms; Shina is pissed. I think my other sisters have activated their stones now too," Tani yelled back.

"How do you know?" Yamato looked at the young woman who once seemed sickly, now appeared to be able to do a marathon without barely breaking a sweat.

"I remember things that she had done that I didn't before. Let's just say that we all have been involved in each other's lives before we even met." She came to a halt and leaned over her knees trying to catch her breath before she could pass out.

"What do you mean?" Sora looked the young woman over, dreading what she might say next.

Tani shook her head and shoved a loose strand of hair from her face. "Shina has been angry with all of you since the beginning because every time you mess up her plans."

"What are you talking about?" Iori folded his arms over his chest then looked back towards the blackening sky. "We didn't even know her."

"Doesn't matter. Do you remember having issues with a Keramon that evolved to a Infermon?"

"Wait. Are you trying to tell us that your sister was behind that? It seemed no matter how many times we killed that thing it'd keep coming back." Taichi grumbled then scratched his head as he thought back. "I think the last time we saw it was…"

"Three years ago? Or in this case, not even a month ago." Tani studied the shock that washed over each of her friends' faces. "Shina has been tracking all of you since the beginning."

"Even me?" Rosa frowned as she speculated the concept further. "But how?"

Tani chewed on her lip as she considered the question. "I don't know. She was always at her computer when she wasn't fighting with me or tormenting poor Ami and Akina. I don't think our parents really understood why she did what she did."

Yamato rubbed his chin. "Seems to me that she wanted attention in whatever way she could get it and when she didn't, she found other ways, harmful ways to get what she wanted."

"What a bitch," Taichi growled, bunching his hands into fists as his rage increased.

"Taichi! Language!" Sora scolded him, but remained ignored. She sat down and drew a deep breath and exhaled.

_"Feeling sorry for yourself won't help."_

The young woman lifted her head and blinked at the sight of a figure draped in white. "What?"

_"Your heart is heavy with emotion that you try to keep concealed. You barely ever express how you really feel." _

"That's not true," Sora said defensively, but her tone wavered, weakening her conviction. "I mean I try… I guess I just don't want to get hurt," she softly admitted. She thought back to how often she held back when it came to relationships, romantic or otherwise. No matter how often her friends tried to get her to open up, she only gave them a fraction of herself.

"Even Piyomon could see it," she muttered sadly to herself. If it hadn't been for her digimon, she may never have developed a relationship with Yamato, a relationship that seemed to have been slowly dying. "I was foolish. I'd try to be what was expected of me instead of letting people see the real me. I wouldn't let them see the real Takenouchi Sora."

"_You were scared. But don't let fear push you away from what is important; protecting those you care about."_

Sora nodded, a smile slowly curving on her pale lips. "Yeah. I've gone though worse and still managed to pick myself up and continue on. I can't fear rejection, I'm the Chosen of Love for crying out loud and though love may not necessarily be fearless, it has an indomitable strength that when used properly, is untouchable."

She turned her head to thank the mysterious woman, but found she that was gone. Instead Sora was standing amongst her peers who oddly enough were staring at her. She turned to Yamato and frowned. "What? Is my hair sticking up straight or is the dirt on my face making me look like I have a mustache or something?"

Grinning he shook his head. "I think you may have just activated your Power Stone."

"What?" Sora glanced down at her shirt and let out a small shriek. Instead of the bland gray, she too was clothed in vivid colors. Her v-neck zip up vest was now a bright red over a long sleeved shirt the color of a pink rose. Her gloves were also red as were her sneakers. Blue denim pants with a light green sweatshirt tied around her waist completed her look. "It's… not bad. But…." She pulled out her stone mid-sentence and jumped in surprise. "No way. It's pink!"

"Pink?" Taichi peered over her shoulder and stared at the stone in bewilderment. "But how? I mean Hikari's was-"

"Simple," Iori cut in. "We don't seem to have the same colors we did before. You do have gray now, Taichi," he reminded their leader.

"Oh yeah."

Tani smiled at Rosa who had not said a word since Sora began to glow before her clothing changed colors. "I guess that just leaves you for last. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have that stone activated in no time."

The Mexican girl lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. "Yeah. I guess so." She kicked at the ground briefly and focused on her gray shoes.

Sora chewed on her lip as though nervous, tucking her hands behind her back as she gazed towards Yamato out of the corner of her eye. She took a deep breath, wincing slightly and muttered, "What the hell." His eyebrow quirked in question at her words when she suddenly threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him as though he were the only thing to keep her from drowning. "I love you."

The words were soft as a whisper, but in his own head it was as though she had shouted them at the top of her lungs. As if his girlfriend of seven, no four year had never said them it seemed so long ago. He held her against him as she buried her face in his shoulder. A smile crept up on his lips and he leaned his head towards hers. "I love you too, Sora."

Tears slid down her pink cheeks as she sniffled. "I'm sorry, Yama. I've been stupid and running around in circles over everything. I mean your band was dumped and I can't even find anyone who's interested in my designs…"

"Shh, Sor. It's okay. Everything will be fine. I've been stupid too but to be honest, you're all I need. We could live in a cardboard refrigerator box and I'd be happy because you'd be there. Screw the damn band. I don't need them. You're all I need and all I want."

Taichi smirked and elbowed Tani who was trying not to watch the other couple. "Ten to one that those two will end up in a lip lock any second now."

"Taichi!" She scowled at him to which he retorted by grabbing her by the arms, pulling her close and kissing her.

Rosa rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest as she muttered, "Get a room." She swished her ponytail as she tilted her head back and sighed. Her brown eyes however narrowed as they met a very unwelcome sight in the distance and began cursing creatively in Spanish as panic quickly overrode annoyance.

Iori's head snapped up as Rosa unknowingly backed up into him. He frowned at her in question, catching bits in pieces of what she said as well as the frantic tone of her words. "Slow down, Rosa. What's wrong?" He touched her shoulder trying to keep her steady as well as from stumbling on his own feet.

"It-It's I think there's a tornado over there!" A shaky hand gestured towards the south, between a gap in the cluster of trees. He looked where she was pointing and began his own cursing.

"We have trouble!"

"Son of a bitch," Taichi growled and protectively took Tani's hand in his own as he glared coldly at the massive tornado heading towards them from afar. "I want to find my sister damn it but someone seems to think otherwise. Damn them."

"I'm sorry, Tai," she murmured, squeezing his hand.

He gave her a dark grin and shook his head. "I'm not letting this shit or any other take me down or anyone else with it. Lets move because somehow lots of trees plus a tornado does not sound too entertaining of an idea to experience about now."

"Right, we need to find either a shelter or a ditch without any trees to be used as projectiles nearby." Yamato nodded firmly, looking intently at the twister.

"But how? This place seems to keep changing on us," Sora inquired balling her hands into fists.

"So you noticed too." Taichi chuckled bitterly and pulled his goggles over his forehead, his brown eyes darkening with determination. "The only thing we can do at this point is run and if we're lucky, we'll find some place safe."

"As good a plan as any," Iori nodded and pulled his backpack over his shoulders as the others gathered their own things.

"I'm going to find you, Hikari. If it's the last thing I do. There is no way in hell a damn tornado, storm or whatever else is thrown at us is going to knock me down. Count on it." With those words said, Taichi lead his friends through the tangles of tree trunks as the wind howled behind them. He would keep them all safe if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Snow fell heavily on the Chosen as they trailed blindly down the mountain. The gusts wailed hauntingly like dead spirits as they tried to maintain their footing, walking carefully upon rock and ice. Michael swore under his breath, as the wind whistled in his numb ears.

"Slow down, Akina," Mimi hissed through chattering teeth. The dark haired young woman did not yield and only continued further down the mountain, practically dragging Koushiro behind her. "She is like really spooked."

Catherine cried out in alarm as her feet slid out from under her on a particularly slick patch of ice. Before she could fall face first to the rocky soil, Takeru caught her by the arm pulling her up to safety. She gasped in horror at what could have been if it weren't for the blonde writer and gave him a shaky smile in gratitude. "That was as you say, a close call. Thank you, Takeru."

"You're welcome," he nodded and released her once she managed to steady herself. "Um, glad I could help."

She looked at the lone Chosen still clothed in the lifeless shades of gray and placed her hand reassuringly on his arm. "You'll activate your stone soon too. I just know it."

"I'm not worried about it," Takeru snapped then scowled knowing it was obvious that he was doing a very poor job of lying through his teeth. Instead he dug his hands in his pockets and quickened his pace.

Catherine winced at his tone but shook her head sadly, knowing he was struggling with himself, but the reason still escaped her. Instead she tried to keep up with him in hopes that he might learn to trust her again. She squinted through the white haze at Akina's frantic form and frowned. "She really is scared."

Koushiro stumbled over a rock, nearly falling on his face as he struggled to keep up despite having been lead around by his still fearful girlfriend. He pondered a moment if they were still a couple, but quickly shoved the thought away as he almost wound up tripping over a rather large jagged rock that would have definitely hurt if he had fallen on it. "Akina, slow down!"

"Huh?" She stopped dead and spun around to face him, shock shone on her face and glinted in her green eyes as though he had just slapped her.

"Calm down. You're going to get us killed if you keep leading us around like a mad woman." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I understand that you are afraid of your sister, but don't you think you're overreacting a bit?"

She pursed her lips together as thought she were about to either scream or burst into tears. Instead she closed her eyes briefly and drew a breath as the other Chosen finally joined them. "I already told you. We aren't safe here. It's practically a blizzard out here and Shina is a major threat. She's tried to kill everyone many times before. Don't underestimate her."

"She can't be as bad as Ken was as the Digimon Kaiser," Takeru shook his head at the young woman who glared at him in turn.

"Wanna bet? Do you even remember what happened three years ago, or should I say last month?"

Five pairs of eyes stared blankly at her, which only increased her panic. "Were we supposed to?" Mimi studied her carefully and glanced towards Michael who shrugged.

Akina's jaw all but dropped off her face as she stepped back in disbelief. "You're kidding me. Shit. I don't believe this. Shina tried to wipe all of you out but somehow one of you beat her. I don't know who but she was so infuriated that she completely trashed the room she shared with Ami. If she didn't hate all of you before, she did after that."

"What happened?' Takeru inquired as an ill sensation flooded his gut.

"Someone completely eradicated her digimon," the raven haired young woman said softly as the storm seemed to grow angrier. "Every time before that she found a way to bring Keramon back…. until then. She spent hours trying to bring her partner back but nothing worked. After that she demolished her computer in a heated rage, forced Tani and I to follow her into the Digital World days later as she dragged Ami in with her and stranded us here vowing revenge."

"How horrible," Catherine whispered. "It sounds like she needs some serious help."

"Or something like that," Michael muttered, fury brewing in his eyes. "I have a really bad feeling now."

Mimi reached towards his hand and held it as though it may be her last chance to ever hold it again. "You're not the only one."

"Something keeps nagging at me," Koushiro murmured, pressed his gloved hand to his chin. "If someone had destroyed your sister's digimon then why don't we remember? Who was it and what exactly happened?"

Akina bit her lip. "I don't know," she said softly, her eyes filled with questions. "I wasn't there, I only saw and felt the aftermath of it. She threatened to destroy the Digital World as well by implementing a virus program to erase all the files, but after I saw how she had demolished her computer…. I knew she was lying….then she opened a gate with my computer by hacking into it, grabbed Ami…choking her…." Her eyes flooded with tears as fragments of that day flooded back. "She wasn't my sister… I don't know who she was but she wasn't my sister….It was like something took over or something. If Tani remembers, she probably is overwhelmed with the guilt that she could have prevented this from happening. If she had managed to keep Shina under control maybe we wouldn't be here right now…. Damn it."

"Akina…"

"No." She shook her head viciously. "This is what she wants. She wants me to drop my guard by going over everything and wishing I could have changed it, changed time, which I can't. I can't let this distract me."

"I believe that would be a proper term," Catherine said in a shaky voice pressing one hand to her chest as she stared towards the top of the mountain.

Takeru's eyes flashed at her trembling demeanor and fought not to rush to her side. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that there appears to be a large amount of snow rushing towards us!"

Mimi spun around and gasped in horror, clutching onto Michael's arm, watching an ever growing cloud of white head in their direction. "It-it-it's an avalanche!"

"Ah shit!" The American shoved his hat more firmly on his head and took his girlfriend's hand. "We have no choice now, we'll have to run and hope no one gets hurt on the way down. Everyone pair up, and don't lose track of each other."

"Hope, yeah right," Takeru muttered under his breath then glanced towards Koushiro who was already running along with Akina. He grumbled under his breath as he realized he was paired with Catherine by default. "Let's go."

"Right," she gave him a sad look as they raced off after the other two couples, with only survival on their minds.

* * *

Rain fell in heavy torrents soaking the five Chosen to the bone as they struggled through the wet sand, sinking an inch as they went. Legs burned, eyes stung, and skin became froze and numb but they continued fighting to gain as much distance as possible from the raging ocean.

Miyako narrowed her eyes as looked at the bright colors of her companions then dropped her gaze to the mute grays she was still clothed in. She wasn't a real Chosen. She knew that. Mimi had Purity and Sora had Love, which left her with nothing. She had to wonder what was to become of her and why she had a clear empty crest around her neck. "I don't belong."

"Miya?" Ken turned to her in concern as though he could sense her despair.

"I'm fine. Just cold," she replied quickly, swiping back a drenched strand of hair from her face.

He nodded, but his eyes did not show the same acceptance. Instead he left her be as they trailed through a mass of crushed shells.

Miyako closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. She hated feeling useless, but there was no way to fix it now. _I'm just nothing._

"Ami, watch it! That was my foot," Jyou's voice boomed from the distanced, edged with pain.

"Sorry!"

"Less talk, more walk, people," Wallace called out as he tried to lead them to what was hoped to be safety rather than a grizzly death.

_I shouldn't even be here. I have no value. Why drag me here if I'm not even a full Chosen?_ She closed her eyes as she continued drowning in sorrow.

_"Feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to do you any good. You're strong than that," _an unfamiliar feminine voice said in a tone that sounded like disappointment.

Miyako's head snapped up in surprise and discovered that she was alone in a white mist. "Ken? Where are you?"

_"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. _The voice laughed as the fog lifted to reveal a white-cloaked figure. _"I shouldn't even be talking to you…but a few of the others have already done their share of meddling. Maybe this is for the best after all."_

Miyako took a step forward as she bunched her gloved hands into fists at her sides. Whatever fear she had of the stranger had completely been washed away by her curiosity. "Who are you? Do you know what's going on?"

_"I'm afraid I said too much, but I urge you to look out for each other. The danger is very real and may only get worse…especially if the Trinity is discovered. One failure may not create a second one." _

"I don't understand! You're being too cryptic. Can you please explain what you're trying to warn me of instead of acting like a fortune teller or something."

The mysterious female however did not reply as the fog suddenly grew thicker, shielding her from the young woman who so desperately sought the truth.

"ANSWER ME!" After a moment Miyako stomped her foot in fury. "DAMN YOU!" She folded her arms over her chest and began to pace. "I'll show you strength…. At least it wasn't in the form of a riddle, but still…. I have no clue as to what she was trying to say."

She fell silent for a moment as the mysterious woman's words swam in her head. "She said I was stronger than this." Her mind drifted towards Hikari during one particularly bad episode in the Digital World where the shorter girl was ready to give everything up. Miyako had to practically pick the girl back up and give her a firm lecture. "I'm stronger than that." She couldn't remember what the circumstances involved. She just knew it was a life or death situation that they had barely scraped out of. As the years went by, Miyako was often the one that had to straighten the others out, and became the queen of lectures. But the results in the end usually came out for the better.

"I'm not a wimp." She balled her hands into tight fists and gritted her teeth as though she were about to tackle someone and beat them to a pulp. "I'm not a wimp! And I sure as hell am not going to let some bitchy drama queen drag with a god complex drag me and my friends down anymore! Hawkmon believed in me and I believe in me too so bring it on!"

A rather violent burst of light appeared around Miyako startling the other Chosen as they spun around, nearly colliding into each other and gaped at her.

"Holy shit. What the hell sparked that?" Wallace tripped over his feet as he stared at the lavender haired teen and crashed into Jyou.

Miyako blinked at their stunned expressions then glanced down at her clothing and squealed. "Bingo! I did it! I can't believe I did it!" Her tank top was now a deep hunter green and the shorts were an olive shade that matched her choker. The long gloves that nearly reached her shoulders and knee length boots were now a rich brown.

Regardless, Ken could not help but stare as a light blush tinted his cheeks. Even her lavender locks seemed brighter and in a way more cheerful even in the storm they were caught in the middle of. "You look….great."

What color is your stone?" Ami leaped towards the girl with a large grin on her face. Miyako pulled out her stone and before she could even answer the red head shrieked in delight. "It's green! And…. Wow, you have strength! That is so cool!"

"Strength? You mean you knew what this symbol was? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't show it to me and I'm not exactly a mind reader but that is still cool. So we have Strength, Kindness, Fate, Faith and my personal Sympathy. Sounds we're pretty well rounded."

"I guess that sounds right." Miyako spun around and grinned at her boyfriend. "I guess you were right." Before he even had a chance to question what she meant, Miyako threw herself in his arms, wrapping her own around his neck and kissed him square on the lips."

"What was that for, not that I minded?" He looked speculatively at his girlfriend who laughed.

"For believing in me even when I didn't." She kissed him again despite the audience then jumped as a loud bolt of lightening crashed a few feet from where they stood.

"Oh no. This doesn't look good," Ami clutched her hands together as she stared fearfully at the roaring ocean. The wind tore through her hair in a threatening gust, threatening to rip them all to shreds. "I think Shina is very angry right now."

"Then we'll just have to survive so we can find a way to kick her ass. Let's move. I don't feel like getting killed by a hurricane today!" Wallace took off at a sprint as the others followed.

* * *

Hikari's eyes fluttered open and dazedly she sat up then blinked. She frowned realizing that she was back in the apartment that she had shared with Nitoni. "Was it all a dream?" She moved to her feet then paused at the sight of blood on her hands. Hikari stared dumbfounded at it. "Did I hurt myself?"

She pushed to her feet and padded on the soft carpet towards the living room. Her vision hazed a bit and she shook her head trying to focus. As she turned the corner however, her throat closed up as she struggled to scream. Thick blood was splattered on the walls tainting the air with its sickeningly sweet stench. Sprawled on the floor like a lifeless broken doll was a young man with dark hair, his once handsome face was brutally battered nearly beyond recognition. "What… how…" Hikari choked on the words as she stared horrified at the mangled body. A sinister sounding chuckle in the darkened corner had her spinning around.

"I guess you don't like my handiwork." A spiky haired young man walked out of the shadows with blood staining his clothing and splashed upon his face like some odd theatrical makeup. A smirk crossed his lips as he crossed towards her.

"Why? How could you?" Tears flooded her eyes as she turned away.

"I thought you'd be happy, you ungrateful bitch."

Hikari looked at the murderer, struggling to recall who he was. "You didn't have to kill him. Not like that."

"How do you not know that you didn't have a part in his demise? This is your fault you know. You are holding the knife that killed him."

He eyes shot to her hand and widened at the sight of the blood-soaked blade. "No. That's impossible." Suddenly his name flooded her mind, chilling her even further to the bone. "Daisuke. You're Daisuke and I-"

"You're a cold-blooded killer," he sneered him her face as he withdrew a gun and held the barrel of it to her temple. "Too bad no one can save you now."

"Daisuke, please don't do this." She winced as he forced her to her knees; to kneel in the bloodied carpet. _This can't true. He wouldn't…_

"You've done this to yourself, Hikari."

As the sound of the gun firing echoed in her head Hikari found herself lying in a grassy field. A girl with silvery hair and crystal blue eyes smiled down upon her. Her white dress fluttered around her ankles as she turned gracefully.

"You should be careful, Hikari. You don't want your mind to get too confused."

Suddenly she was gasping for breath as the light faded, Hikari crashed backwards into a wall. She slumped limply as a sharp pain shot through her right arm. Her brown eyes narrowed in confusion at the sight of her brother standing over her with rage burning in his eyes.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" He growled delivering a blow to her face.

Hikari screamed in a mix of pain and shock over what was happening. _He's never hit me before… Has he?_ Tears leaked from her eyes as she whimpered. "Big brother… please don't…"

He shook his head and grabbed her by her arms, digging his fingers into her tender flesh as she gasped in pain. "You're pathetic and I hate your guts. You should have never been born. Mom should have fallen down the stairs or something and lost you."

"Tai..chi," the tears continued to stream down her face as she stared at the one person she trusted attempting to destroy her. _This can't be true. No! Please no._

Taichi slammed her against the wall then let her fall to the ground and kicked her for good measure. "I don't even think you're good enough for death."

"PLEASE STOP!" Hikari shouted then crumpled into a ball as she fought to keep her heart from shattered anymore than it had.

Once again she was back in the bloodied apartment only this time it was her parents lying dead on the ground. She closed her eyes, afraid to look at her hands. "This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real. I DIDN'T DO THIS!"

"Oh, but you did, sister dear," Taichi's eyes glinted with malice as he peered down at her. "You destroy everything."

"No. You're wrong."

"How do you know? You don't remember anything?"

The last few words echoed in Hikari's head as she fell backwards but rather than fall to the firm floor, she landed in a deep puddle of water. A sharp gasp escaped her throat as her eyes blanked at the sight of the murky water. Oddly, the place not only terrified her but it was also eerily familiar. She limply lifted a hand and watched the water pooled in her palm leak through her fingers. A sudden sense of loss flooded her veins as tears welled in her eyes. Soft crying drifted in her ears as the thick fog lifted revealing a brunette haired girl, sobbing as though in tremendous pain. Hikari knew the instant that she saw the girl that she was watching herself.

"Why? What did I do to deserve this? Now I'm all alone and it hurts!" Her body shook as she gasped for breath between her heart-wrenching sobs. She hugged herself tightly as sticky strands of long hair clung in her face, saturated by her salty tears. She buried her face in her knees and continued crying, unaware of the water rising around her, threaten to overtake her at such a weak and defenseless state.

Hikari blinked as a light flashed. She frowned as she gazed at the depressed girl again to find chunks of hair surrounding her as a vacant expression formed in her once vibrant eyes. Another flash and she was with group of teens who didn't look anything like the ones she had met in the park. One was the silver haired girl, another was a raven haired boy with a deep red edging the ends of his hair, and yet another was another boy with glasses and gold colored haired thrown back in a ponytail. _Did I know them?_

The image suddenly refocused to a strange looking white cat with purple tipped ears and yellow striped gloves with large blue eyes. There was something about the cat that pained Hikari's heart at she looked at it.

_What is going on? I feel so confused. _Hikari screamed and she felt herself being thrown forward and dunked under the murky water from before. Flashes of Daisuke trying to kill her and of her own brother's cold words repeated painfully in her mind. She clutched at her head, trying to will them away, but it only grew stronger, more insistent. "Please stop! STOP IT!" She curled into a ball and cried in agony as through her heart was being ripped from her chest. The more she cried, the weaker she felt until she had no strength left. "Please."

The stone in the necklace around her neck suddenly faded until it was completely transparent as its wearer fell silent and still as though she had fallen into a deep sleep.

* * *

Sapphire blue eyes watched pleased as the little color that the captive had began to diminish into nothing. The other Chosen may have already some how gained the ability to harness their powers again but this was one Chosen she'd make certain would never regain her power and remain in the lifeless void she was placed in.

"I'm going to make sure each of you pay for what you have done. You will not survive long enough to ever see the Digital World in its splendor ever again."

Copper toned eyes watched the young woman with approval before turning to his comrades. "She seems to be making up for her mistakes."

"As I'd hope. But she still has a way to go. Even in that state Light can still be a threat," a soft musical-like voice replied. "Too bad we can't eliminate her. Not until two other pieces are found. Only then we can be sure and once we do we can allow Little Shina to eliminate the others."

"I don't see why we can't at least take out one."

"Do you not remember what happened last time? Some one was careless and we all had to pay. No. We will do it this way. The plan has already been agreed on by the others so we can't change it or they may retaliate."

"Fine, but you better be right."

"I won't know until it's been fully determined." The woman's eyes traveled back towards three misty spheres as she smiled. Sometimes patience was indeed the key to success.

* * *

Author's Notes: It's getting closer towards the end for this one and I have to say, I would not want to be in Hikari's shoes at the moment. That was just cruel.

At least I got this out before Halloween, which is why its late to begin with. I hope to have the last few chapters out before the end of the year.

Hope you enjoyed the newest enstallment.


	30. Reviving the Light

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 30  
Reviving the Light  
By  
Sailor Janus

The wind grew more abusive as leaves, rocks, broken branches and twigs were hurtled at the Chosen like missiles as they raced through the forest. No one said a word as they concentrated on evading the debris as they ran. Hissing and spitting, the storm made chase, refusing to give up its quarry without a fight.

Rosa bit back a curse as she tripped over a small hole that sent her tumbling. She stared at the ground in confusion as a pair of strong arms lifted her to her feet. She looked blankly at Iori's face and shrugged. "Sorry. I guess I'm a klutz after all."

"Stop apologizing as keep moving," he urged, pulling her around by the arm.

"But it's true. I didn't used to…I'm worthless."

Iori turned towards Rosa's downcast face in confusion. "What? No you aren't. You-"

"I am too!" She threw his hand off her and gritted her teeth unaware that the other Chosen had paused to watch the outcome for the odd outburst. "Everyone always tells me I'm _estupido. Ella es loca. Es demasiado alta y fea. Es sin valor." _Rosa threw her hands in the air as tears began to stream down her face. "_No cuido_!"

Tani brought her hand to her mouth in pity over the teenaged girl's frustration. She tried to move towards the girl, but Sora held her back shaking her head. "She needs to let it out. You should know that best."

"But we are dealing with a tornado. Shina intends to-"

"If Rosa can activate her stone, maybe this will all stop," Sora whispered in the young woman's ear.

"What if that doesn't work?"

"Anything is worth a shot at this point." Yamato scowled at the approaching storm as the breeze whipped through his thick bangs.

"She can do it," Taichi nodded, his eyes flicking at the distressed Mexican girl. "If she doesn't we'll just have to drag her off because there isn't anything that is going to stop me from find my sister!"

Tani bit her lip as she silently watched.

Iori looked at the girl in confusion. "I don't understand what you said, but if you're referring to others calling you inferior they're wrong. For one thing, you're a Chosen hands down and that is not something to take lightly."

Rosa sniffled and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. She closed her eyes shaking her head and opened her mouth to argue his point but never had a chance as another voice spoke before she could.

_"You know he's right."_

"Who?" Rosa blinked at the soft voice in her head in and groaned. "I really am going crazy."

_"No you aren't. You have allowed others to keep you down for too long."_

"They're right. I'm just an ugly tall freak," she murmured softly.

The light cloaked figure stepped in front of the girl and gave her a hard look. _"You mustn't let them destroy you. You are stronger than that and if you give into their foolishness then all is lost." _

"But-"

Icy blue eyes seemed to glow from behind the hood. _"There is much you will have to face and I cannot promise that it will be easy, but you mustn't fail…not again."_

"What? What do you mean-"

_"Please bring an end to this chaos or all will be lost."_

Rosa stammered as the figure began to fade. A mixture of bewilderment, wonder, and fury bubbled in her stomach. "It can't be." She shook her head furiously and drew a deep breath. She had been referred to a tall freak for so long that she couldn't figure out how anyone could see her as anything but. "Maybe I'm not so bad after all. I mean Tani is tall and Sora kind of is too and Iori is really tall…" A light blush tinted her cheeks at that thought. Images of girls taunting her for her long and thin frame made her feel awkward and unappealing again. _I used to be short and cute then before I knew it, puberty attacks and I end up sprouting like a weed. Why I let it get to me… I don't know. Maybe I am being ridiculous after all. I mean I used to not care about what people thought and…I really have been stupid. Well those other girls can just kiss my ass and oh my God. I'm standing here thinking about this when there is a tornado coming! _Suddenly Rosa fell forward and blinked in confusion at the grass.

"Apparently, whatever you just did worked," Iori said as his lips tried to twitch into a smile.

"Huh?" She looked at her hand and noted that the bracelets on her wrist were now a brilliant gold rather than a dull gray. She immediately leapt to her feet and squealed as she cheerfully rambled in Spanish at her gold colored short-sleeved peasant top and copper toned Capri pants with matching shoes and socks. Her ponytail in a much richer brown bounced happily as she jumped in delight.

"I guess that means she's happy," Yamato grinned as Taichi laughed at the girl's reaction, oblivious to the calmness around them.

"_SI! _I mean yes!" She spun around and smiled shyly at Iori then shrugged. "What the hell." She quickly grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulled him towards her and kissed him right on the lips.

Tani giggled as Taichi gaped in shock at the girl's bold move.

"Um, what would her crest be?" He asked, breaking out of his previous stupor and began to chuckle at Iori's stunned expression.

"I suspect Spirit. She definitely shows it well."

"Oh!" Rosa released Iori and snatched her stone from her pocket. "Um, does anyone know what a triangle with two slash marks means? My stone looks kind of like gold."

Tani smiled as Iori stumbled backwards in shock then shook his head as though trying to clear it. "That would be Spirit."

"Gotsumon would find it fitting too." Her smile softened as she thought of her missing partner. "I really miss him." She thought sadly about her digimon when suddenly the wind picked up even stronger. She gasped in warning at the forgotten tornado that was now much closer than before. "What happened? It was calmer before and now-"

"Stop contemplating it and run," Iori shouted, grabbing her by the arm once again as he and the others took off at a fierce sprint.

"I think the activation of Rosa's stone gave a moment of peace, but it wasn't nearly strong enough to stop it all together," Yamato yelled as Taichi took the lead.

"SHIT!" The leader skidded to the stop and snagged Tani by the waist before she could run off the edge of the cliff. "EVERYONE STOP!"

"Oh God," Sora panted as she realized that they were now trapped. "What are we going to do? I don't think we'll have enough time to find a safe place to climb down."

Tani shook her head slowly as her eyes clouded with despair. "This can't be it…. It can't be. Shina, you can't actually intend to kill us. You're my sister and I love you more than life. PLEASE STOP THIS!"

Taichi said nothing as fury burned in his eyes and the tornado neared. Never before had he felt more trapped than he did at that moment. "I don't know how, but we'll make it and we're going to find Hikari. It's a promise." His words wavered as the wind grew stronger threatening to shove them off the cliff.

* * *

_Taichi? _Brown eyes flew open as a frown crossed the girl's unpainted lips. She looked up and stared up at the bright blue sky overhead considering in silence why she had thought of her brother at that moment. _But… do I even have a brother?_

"What are you thinking about, Mitsu?"

_Mitsu?_

A silver haired girl smiled softly as the breeze toyed with her long shining locks like a silky flag. She giggled and touched the girl's shoulder lightly. "You really need to stop daydreaming."

"But that's not my-" She began to argue then shook her head. "I do have an older brother, right?"

"Where did you get that idea from? You must be reading too many mangas or something, Mitsu. You don't have any siblings. And I should know best being your best friend Sumi. Just don't let Kane and Toshi find out."

"Kane? Toshi? But I-"

"Is Sumi giving you a hard time again, Mitsu?" Cooper colored eyes seemed to laugh as the boy with dark hair edged in crimson sat down on the bench across from the girls. He flipped his shoulder length locks from his face and smirked.

"I-I suppose so…"

"Sumi, leave her alone." His voice was cold as he barked the order. The silver haired girl shrank back slightly but kept her chin up.

Just then a golden haired boy joined them as well, taking a seat next to the other boy. He pushed at his glasses and raised an eyebrow. "Are you two at it again?"

"Butt out, Toshi," Sumi hissed earning a shrug from the boy.

_Is this real? I don't remember and yet I do…I'm so confused_. The brunettesighed deeply as the trio continued to argue.

"You're such a prima donna, Sumi!"

_"Trust your heart."_

The lost girl spun around and found herself staring at a figure draped in a long white cloak. She placed one finger to her concealed face, prompting the girl not to speak. _Trust my heart. What's in my heart?_ She studied her three so-called friends carefully. There was arrogance, control, and manipulation, as well as something else that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Whatever it was, it felt fake or staged. Everything included the name they chose to call her by was a fake. She closed her eyes and wished to find the truth.

"No! You don't want to eat that!" A young boy with a mop of messy brown hair struggled to pull a bowl from a toddler girl's grasp from inside a rather cozy looking kitchen. She clutched on as tears welled up in her brown eyes begging for him to let go.

"Taichi, be nice to your little sister," a woman scolded her son from the table where she seemed to be engrossed in a book.

The little boy looked up at her pleadingly. "But she was gonna eat the cat's food!"

The cat sat up on the table where she was napping as the mother blinked then gently picked up her daughter. "Sweetie, that's yucky food. You don't want to eat that. How about we find something yummy?"

The cat jumped down and looked up in question sniffing at the bowl Taichi was holding then sent the woman a glare as if asking, "If it's yucky food then why are you feeding it to me?"

The woman seated her daughter at the table and gave her a cookie. She then handed one to her son and kissed him on the cheek. "Is Taichi being a good big brother and looking out for his little sister?" The father walked in the room and ruffled the boy's hair as he eagerly ate his treat.

"Hikari was trying to eat Miko's food, Susumu," she replied softly with a look of bewilderment and disgust at the idea of it on her face.

"Ah, but her big brother wouldn't let her. That's my boy." He grinned and gave Taichi a second cookie.

"Susumu! No more cookies before dinner!"

_Hikari. My name is Hikari. Yagami Hikari. That's me._ The girl thought as the image faded and changed. She suddenly found herself crashing threw what felt like glass. Shards seemed to pierce her flesh as she fell.

"Mitsu," the silver haired girl giggled in her dark school uniform. Her long silver hair pulled back in a silky ponytail. "Come on or we'll be late for class. " She smiled offering her hand.

The brunette paused and looked towards a lavender haired girl with glasses wearing a green school uniform. "Come on, Hikari. We have to meet the others in the computer lab, remember?"

"I-"

"_Trust your heart._"

She faltered then accepted the tall bespectacled girl's outstretch hand. The other girl snarled as she moved to swipe at her nemesis. "You won't win that easily."

"Hikari!"

She spun around and looked in horror at her blood stained clothing. "No, I didn't do this. Stop lying to me!"

Bits and pieces of other images flew through her mind. Everything from past birthday parties, outing with friends, and school flashed before her eyes. Suddenly everything changed and a heavy sensation filled her.

Hikari sniffled as she stared out the car window. Her heart felt as though it were shattering with each second that ticked by.

"Don't be sad, sweetie. This will be a fresh start for all of us," her mother said reassuringly.

She tried to swallow back her sobs, wishing that this was only some horrible dream and that she'd wake up in her warm bed in Odaiba. "I know."

"You are pathetic."

Hikari gasped as she landed with a splash in what seemed like a cold murky lake. She glanced up and shivered at the dim depressing atmosphere. "I've been here before." She dropped her gaze to the water and frowned as a younger image of herself knelt in the same water clutching her head as though trying to block something out. Slowly it shifted to an older version of herself sobbing brokenheartedly as the water began to rise around her. Hikari could feel the waves of emotions rush up to her. _I was upset. I had lost something. Something very dear and somehow ended up here. _She contemplated the reason further and shook her head. _No, not something. Someone. Someones."_

"Hikari! Hikari! Where are you?"

"Taichi. It's Taichi. He was looking for me. He and the others. I was upset. Nana had died. But not even a week later Grandpa passed away too. I was afraid that because they left me, everyone else would too," she murmured as the image changed one more time. Instead it was a much older version of herself in the same despair filled state of mind, but only worse than before. It pained Hikari to see herself in so much agony that the very light that seemed to surround her was dying away. "Instead of them leaving me, I had to leave them and I gave everything up completely just so I wouldn't hurt anymore. I surrendered everything I had known of Odaiba just so the pain would go away." Tears fell from her eyes as the realization hit her hard. "This is all my fault. I gave up my light willingly because I couldn't take the thought of being alone. My heart was already shattered so I thought that I didn't have anything left. I did this to myself damn it. I brought it all on myself."

"_It wasn't just you alone."_

Hikari looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes as she gazed up at the woman clothed in white. "Yes, it is. I selfishly gave everything up not caring about the consequences because I was afraid that everything would change. That I would return to Odaiba and everyone would have moved on and wouldn't want anything to do with me anymore. As though I had died or something."

The woman nodded in understanding. _"This wasn't completely your fault. You were prompted. You loved all your friends and hated the idea of leaving them, but you did not cause all of this to happen. There is more to everything than you know."_

"I did cause my memories to disappear."

"_Not entirely. You still have large gaps that will be filled, but that may take a bit more effort."_

"What do you mean? I remember everything. When I was nine Mimi moved to the US a few weeks after a camping trip we all had. Koushiro had accidentally ripped off her skirt when we were fishing. She was really embarrassed. A few weeks later I met Daisuke for the first time at the park on the swings. He- Daisuke!" A flush tinted her cheeks as Hikari brought her hands to her face to hide it. "He kissed me at Catherine's birthday party and…. it was in France. I can't remember why were all there but it was a big formal affair. I think we helped her somehow….. Now that I think of it I can't remember how I met everyone. Sora, Yamato, Koushiro, Takeru, Ken, Jyou, Mimi, Miyako, and Iori. But that doesn't make sense. I can't even remember meeting Catherine yet…" She frowned as she shook her head trying to retrieve the missing parts of her memory. "You're right. I still can't remember everything, but I don't care how painful those memories may be, I want them back no matter what."

The cloaked woman smiled in acknowledgement. _"At all costs? Even if you have to lose all you hold dear?"_

Hikari bit her lip. "I don't want anyone to be hurt or killed if that is what you mean. Even if they caused me pain, I don't wish it back on them. Not even to Nitoni or the blue eyed girl in black, or even the three who were pretending to be my friends. If I have to fight, I will with all the strength I have, but only if there is no other way."

"_Even if it means returning here again someday?"_

"This world of darkness? If it means I can help those I care about then yes. I know this isn't real and that I'm somehow trapped in my head but I'm tired of being weak. I was sick as a child and grew stronger. I don't want to be a burden to everyone again." She bowed her head as she closed her eyes. "I believe that I finally have the strength to stand on my own and do what is right."

Suddenly a burst of light flooded throughout her body. Hikari's eyes flew open as she jerked upright. She brought a hand to her face and froze at the sight of lavender colored gloves. Puzzled she turned her attention to her clothing. Rather than the bland shades of gray, she now wore a violet buttonless, sleeveless top that was tied at her waist over a mid-length sleeved lavender shirt with a double layered violet colored skirt with the under side in the same lavender shade as her gloves and top. Her calf length boots were also the same color. What caught her eye however was the fact that the stone in her necklace was now a brilliant amethyst color. She bit her lip and ran a hand through her mid length hair then scooted off the cold stone slab she was sitting on.

"So, you're finally awake."

Hikari spun around and gasped at the young woman's rage filled eyes glowering down upon her. She rose to her feet and stood up straight. "I know you do not mean to be as spiteful as you try to act. Please, let me help."

"You can't do anything! You're just an insignificant little nothing." The dark cloak billowed behind her as her sapphire gaze sparkled menacingly. "Besides, I have already found your playmate. Too bad he was a real pushover. But I guess traveling through a drought will do that to you." She laughed moving away from the corner she was standing in to reveal the lifeless body of Motomiya Daisuke lying very still on the cool stone floor.

"Daisuke!" Hikari moved to race towards his side, but was blocked by the other woman. "Please give him some water or something. You can just let him die. You're not that cruel!"

"This coming from someone who had taken a life."

"That's not true. I have never killed anyone."

The woman's hand flew with a crackle of a whip against Hikari's face. "Liar! You come off as sweet and perfect Yagami Hikari but you are anything but. You make me sick." She grabbed the brunette's long brown hair and yanked her head back. "You destroyed the only life that gave a damn about me and the fact they you don't even remember makes me despise you even more." She shoved the girl hard to the ground and yelled in fury.

_I don't understand. What did I do? What am I not remembering?_ Hikari touched her throbbing cheek gingerly and turned back towards the woman that called her an enemy. "Even though I can't remember I'm sure it was either some mistake or an accident. Please help Daisuke. You can do what you want with me just don't let him die. None of this is his fault."

"You don't remember…. You killed my digimon, you bitch!" She threw her hood back to reveal deep blue eyes glimmering through dark violet bangs. The rest of her hair was chin length cut choppily and sticking out at odd angles.

Hikari took a step back in shock at her words and brought a hand to her mouth as the memories involving the digimon and her time as a Chosen Child began to flood back. Her own Tailmon smiled kindly in her mind as she collapsed to her knees. The memory suddenly became vividly clear.

The Keramon had evolved into something stronger than an Armageddemon. It was beyond an Ultimate and nearly killed Daisuke, Miyako, Ken, Sora, Yamato, Iori and herself. Taichi was knocked out and Daisuke's sprained knee kept him immobilized him after a particularly nasty fall. This however wasn't the biggest problem. The fact that the digimon were unable to evolve had everyone involved concerned for their own survival as well as their partners. All they could do was hold out as best they could as they tried to protect their partners and each other. Oddly, as Hikari looked at her injured friends covered in cuts, scraped and bruises, something seemed to spark in her as the evil digimon threw another assault towards them. Summoning all her strength she braced herself for another attack but it never came. As she opened her eyes she stared in wonder as the digimon began to dissolve. She never understood what had exactly happened, but that was the last time they had seen it ever again.

"Then if it's the digimon I think you're talking about then…. The Keramon was yours? But why? Why were you trying to destroy the Digital World? Why were you trying to kill everyone?"

"You're pathetic."

A light glow slowly appeared around Hikari as she shook her head. "No, Shina. You were lonely. You felt like no one appreciated you because you were fighting for the attention against three seemingly perfect siblings. They always got all the merits and you were left in the middle of everything."

The young woman's head snapped up and she gazed angrily at the blank, glazed appearance of Hikari's eyes. "Get out of my head, you bitch!" She slapped the girl again then held a glass ball out in front of her face. "See this? See your stupid friends? If I give the say, they die. Got it?"

Hikari looked at the images of the other Chosen fighting to survive against either a tornado, avalanche, or hurricane. Each storm was equally deadly. She bowed her head in surrender. "I'll do whatever you want. Just let them and Daisuke go."

Shina raised an eyebrow and snorted. "Just like that? Damn, you really are stupid."

"Just because I'd choose to sacrifice myself for the ones I love does not mean I lack intelligence. I just don't want anyone to hurt anymore because of me. Don't you have anyone that you value even more than your own life?"

"No. Now shut the hell up!" Shina moved to strike the other girl again but halted. Instead she curled her hand into a fist and growled. "I'll deal with you later."

Hikari glanced between Shina and Daisuke as fear flooded her mind. Without a second thought she launched herself at Shina as the young woman turned to leave the room. Throwing her full body weight, Hikari managed to tackle her to the ground.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!" Shina roared, thrashing violently at her nemesis, struggling to buck the girl from her back.

"Not until you realize that what you're doing is wrong," she replied through gritted teeth as Shina's elbow smashed into her jaw. Hikari bit back a scream as the pain intensified, but was determined to keep her opponent pinned until she saw reason. "Your sisters care about you, don't you see that?"

"GET OFF ME, YOU TWIT!"

"NOT UNTIL YOU REALIZE YOUR OWN STUPIDTY!"

Shina growled and slammed the back of her head into the side of Hikari's face. The girl cried out in pain but relentlessly kept her hold. "YOU'RE THE STUPID ONE, YOU BITCH!"

"YOU'RE BEING USED!" Hikari winced as Shina's elbow drove into her side. She sharply sucked in a breath and held it for a second it. "Don't you see? They're taking all the anger and hurt you have felt and twisted it into a weapon to be used against everyone. You're nothing but a tool. Don't destroy everything." She bowed her head as tears slipped from her brown eyes. "If Keramon meant so much to you then why did you allow him to be used to hurt others? I don't think you're a bad person. You've just been hurt too much, but everyone gets hurt. The important thing is to pick yourself back up and repair what you can of the damage, but don't let it get to you either. You can change."

"I. Don't. Want. To. CHANGE!" At the last word Shina used all of her strength and threw Hikari off, sending her crashing into a wall. She immediately rose to her feet and grabbed the glass sphere and turned to Hikari's dazed form slumped against wall, blooded trickling into her eyes as she fought to climb to her feet. A sinister glint sparked in Shina's eyes as she looked from the ball to Hikari. "And just to show you my gratitude I think I'll finish those idiots once and for all." She laughed as she smashed the ball into ground, shards of glass and color flew around the room from impact as the Child of Light screamed in horror.

* * *

Author's Notes: This chapter seemed to take forever to write. I had to constantly add bits and pieces here and there because it wasn't coming together properly. I really didn't expect the confrontation between Shina and Hikari to go the way it did. And no, I am in no way Anti-Hikari. I just oddly seem to give the characters I like a hard time.

There should be at least one more chapter to go. I guess it really depends on how everything gets pulled off in regards to how much more is left for this story. The next chapter will more than likely feature everyone. The only real question is regarding whether or not it'll be the end.

I hope you enjoyed the newest installment.


	31. Hands of Time

Diminished Light: Void's Assault  
Chapter 31  
The Hands of Time  
By  
Sailor Janus

Tani's head flew up as she fell to her knees. "Shina. What have you done?" Her eyes widened in horror as the size of the tornado raging before them grew, it's violent winds threatening to shove them all off the cliff as they stood trapped.

"The ground is shaking! We're goners!" Yamato cursed as he clutched Sora's hand protectively. A deep chuckle erupted in his throat and he squeezed her hand again. "Sora, if we get out of this alive, will you marry me?"

"What?" She stared at him stupefied, the angry storm long forgotten at her boyfriend's question.

"MARRY ME, SORA! I love you, and if we survive this, I don't think I could live one moment without you. I know this is spontaneous and that I don't have a ring, but will you marry me?"

Sora gaped in shock and suddenly threw her arms around him as she wept. "YES! I'll marry you, Yama."

"Sor."

Taichi blinked several times with his jaw hanging out before he finally registered that the ground was cracking behind him. "Shit. That's it! My best friends are getting married and I intend to be at their damn wedding so there is no way that I am going to miss it because of a stupid thing such as dying! YOU HEAR ME, WHOEVER THE HELL YOU ARE! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BEAT US!"

"Everyone has gone _loco_," Rosa murmured, as she reached for Iori to steady herself.

"Facing death can do that," he replied, grabbing her shoulders as she began to fall backwards. He gritted his teeth as large chunks of the cliff broke off around them.

"I don't want to die!"

"We're not going to die!" Taichi growled, holding onto Tani's trembling form.

Iori closed his eyes as the cliff crumbled out from under them and sucked in a breath, reaching out for Rosa's hand as they began to fall.

* * *

"This is hopeless!"

Koushiro gave Takeru a bewildered look as they raced down the steep mountain in what the blonde felt was going to be a waste of energy. "I never thought I'd hear you say that being the Chosen of Hope and all."

"In case you haven't noticed, I haven't activated my damn stone," he replied through gritted teeth.

"With that attitude, I'm not surprise."

"Guys! This isn't the time or the place to have an argument!" Akina shouted, trying to retain everyone's focus on escaping from the avalanche.

"Takeru, please," Catherine murmured gazing towards him as she took his hand in hers. He hesitated a moment then slowly his fingers folded around hers.

He bowed his head as he picked up his pace to keep up with the others. "I shouldn't even be here. I'm a failure. We aren't going to make it and the others are probably dead as well. We've lost."

"No. There is still hope." She bit her lip a moment and drew a breath. "You were my hope. When things were hard with my mother, I thought of you and knew that maybe there was a slim chance that things could be different. Please don't give up on yourself because I never gave up on you."

Takeru skidded to a halt and stared at her. "But why?"

"Maybe…. because I love you. I was always afraid of what my mother would do if she found out…. and maybe she did, but I didn't care because I knew that as long as you stood by my side, that everything would be alright."

Michael spun around and swore. "What the hell are you two standing around for? This isn't a video game where you can pause if you need a bathroom break for crying out loud!"

_She believes in me. She loves me. Me. Not Yamato. Not Taichi or Daisuke. Me. _Takeru shook his head and grinned up at Michael. "We'll be okay. Nothing will keep us down. I understand now. You can't have hope in others unless you have it in yourself. Now I understand what Patamon was trying to tell me a few years ago."

A bright light flooded Takeru's body and quickly dissipated revealing a slate gray high necked ribbed shirt under a red zip up jacket with a pair of black pants and red sneakers. He pulled out his Power Stone and laughed at discovering that it was now red. "I did it."

"It looks like the avalanche stopped. Weird." Mimi frowned as she flipped one of her pigtails from her face.

"Works for me," Michael shrugged, pulling at his cap.

Koushiro nodded at the blonde writer. "I knew you could do it. Yamato would be proud of you."

"Yeah. So would Patamon." Takeru smiled then took Catherine's hand, and bowed as he kissed her knuckles in a gentleman-like gesture. "Merci," he said in thanks.

Tears flooded Catherine's eyes as she smiled back. "You're welcome, Takeru."

A low rumbling sound however pulled the celebrating pair apart, drawing their attention to the top of the mountain where a cloud the size of a skyscraper raced down the mountain side towards them like a runaway train.

"OH SHIT!" Michael shoved his hat more firmly down on his head, took Mimi by the hand and began the race once again with the other Chosen sprinting closely behind them.

* * *

Harsh bands of rain slashed against the five Chosen as they ran blindly through the storm. Drenched and freezing, they struggled to get as far from the beach as possible. The wave thrashed violently, the heavy winds threw the salty ocean water haphazardly around like confetti.

"I used to like the rain. I think I've changed my mind." Wallace sputtered as water was tossed in his face. Angrily he wiped at his eyes as he came to a pause. "Yeah. It's official. I hate the rain!"

"This isn't normal." Ken said softly, his fingers intertwined with Miyako's.

"No, shit!"

"I'll agree with you on the hating the rain, Wallace. My hair is going to be one big fuzz-ball when it dries," Ami said in exasperation. "I should have never gotten it permed."

"It looks nice though…. I mean when it's dry…and now. It looks good," Jyou said between shivers before launching into a fitful of sneezes. "This really does suck."

"The waves keep getting higher too," Miyako nodded. "If they get much higher we might find ourselves swept out to sea."

"I don't think I can run anymore," Ami panted, pushing her soaked curls out of her face and rubbed at her arms. "I'm so cold!"

"We don't have much in the way of a choice."

Wallace glanced behind his shoulder and cursed at the size of the wave growing behind him. It definitely had more height than his apartment in New York. "I think we're in trouble."

The others looked as well and took off at a sprint as their adrenaline kicked in full gear.

* * *

Hikari stared in disbelief at the fragments of the glass sphere scattered on the floor. She scrambled towards the closest pieces and watched in horror as her brother and the friends he was traveling with were facing off with a tornado as the cliff they were trapped on began to break away. Another shard revealed the race from the avalanche and yet another one, displayed the hurricane with a growing tsunami. "How could you? How can you allow your sisters to die just like that?"

"They mean nothing to me. They're just insignificant nothings that always got in my way," Shina hissed then shrugged. "They were always better liked than I was. Made me sick."

"They loved you. You're the stupid one to throw family away." Tears slid down Hikari's cheeks as she fought to maintain a calm demeanor. "You need to wake up, Shina. WAKE UP!"

The sudden intensity in the brunette's voice startled her to the point that she unconsciously stepped back. Shina blinked as the girl began to glow once again. "What are you doing?"

Hikari shook her head as she slowly rose to her feet, bracing herself against the wall as she pulled herself up. "The only thing I can do; fix things."

"But…" Shaking her head, Shina watched as the wall in front of Hikari crumbled revealing several jagged, multi-colored crystals. Shina frowned and clutched her hands into fists. "I'm not going to let you stop me! I'll destroy you if it's the last thing I do." Suddenly a dark light erupted around her as she touched one of the crystals. "If I can't stop you one way then it'll have to be another."

"What?" Hikari gasped at the sight of Shina. Rather than the jagged violet locks, they were now chin length and she was clothed in a black jacket and baggy jeans with a green top. Oddly she looked three years younger. Curiously she turned to where Daisuke was still lying unconscious and threw a hand to her mouth. His spiky hair was a bit longer, but the state of dress was completely different. Rather than wearing blue, he was now in a sleeveless version of the jacket he wore during his first adventure to the Digital World. Under it was a dark blue shirt with brown gloves and dark brown shorts. It was something she hadn't seen since she was fifteen. Hikari glanced down at her own state of dress and nearly cursed. She too looked as she had at fifteen. Gone were the purple skirt and top. Instead she wore a short tied around top in dark pink over a lavender colored shirt with tight jean shorts that went a little past her knees and white ankle length boots. "What are you doing?"

"If I can't kill you, then I'll erase you and all those other idiots from existence!"

* * *

Relief filled Tani's eyes as the tornado mysteriously disappeared. Just as she was about to relax however, she noticed something very wrong. "Oh no."

Taichi frowned as he realized that the danger was nowhere to be found. "What? The tornado is gone so we're in the clear."

"No, something else is wrong."

"What?" Rosa's eyes bugged out as she realized that she was a lot shorter than before. "_Aye caramba!_ I've shrunk!"

"No, we somehow lost a few years on our ages. How? I don't know," Yamato looked worriedly at Sora, her red hair was longer and in a flip. He scowled at the olive colored suede jacket he was now wearing silently declaring it had to be one of his worst purchases. Even more annoying he decided was his shorter choppy hair. "I think we lost three more years."

"What does this mean?" She whispered shoving her now growing out bangs out of her eyes and made a face at the jeans that looked like rejects from the 80s she was clothed in only they were paired with a tight black top.

"It means that somehow Shina or someone else has managed to use Akina's crest. We're in big trouble now." Tani made a face at her long hair and swept the strands haing in her face behind an ear.

Taichi frowned as he glanced towards Iori and Rosa both in equally different states of dress, trying to ignore the mess that was his hair now nearly mid-back length and pulled back in a loose ponytail. "But if we keep losing years then…."

"We'll disappear," Iori said softly glancing towards the odd state of Rosa's hair as it stuck out in every direction. She quickly pulled it down and grimaced at the idea of no longer existing.

"There has to be something we can do!" She pulled at the dangling sleeves of her top and sighed in exasperation.

"I seriously hope there is."

* * *

"You can't mean that!" Hikari swept back her shorter hair and growled as she launched herself towards the other girl, knocking her to the ground.

Shina bared her teeth as she struck her rival across the face. "It's too late, you bitch. The clock is going to continue moving back three years until you are nothing but a memory and even that will fade from existence."

"But you will destroy everything. Time will continue to decline until nothing is left. Do you really want to bring an ending to life itself? Things can change if you want it bad enough. You just have to try." Hikari released her hold on Shina and moved towards the wall. "There has to be something that you hold value to."

"You killed it."

The Child of Light rose to her feet as she lifted her head. She glanced briefly at a now twelve year old Daisuke, still lying unconscious on the ground. She drew a sharp breath and turned towards Shina without a moment of hesitation. "Then kill me. Leave everyone else be and kill me. That's what you want to do, so do it."

* * *

Koushiro looked nervously at the sky then back towards his friends. "This isn't good. We've seemed to have lost yet another three years. "I don't really know what to make of this."

"Shina must be using my crest," Akina whispered worriedly as she pushed her long bangs from her eyes.

"Why? What good is making us younger going to do?" Catherine inquired, trying to ignore the dainty blue dress she was dressed in at the prompting of her mother. She balled her lacy-gloved hands as her eyes began to flood with fear filled tears.

"If she pushes the years back too far then…. she could possibly erase us from existence. Time is very delicate and if manipulated the consequences can be drastic."

"And here I thought reliving my Aerith phase was bad!" Mimi covered her mouth with her hand as Michael gripped her other one. "Well, at least the avalanche is gone but instead we're going to all disappear!"

"There has to be some way to stop that from happening," he said reassuringly.

"How? Where don't even know where Akina's sister is never mind being unable to stop her."

"There has to be a way, even if we're not the ones to find it," Takeru urged as he put his hand on Mimi's shoulder. "We just have to be positive." If it helps, you'll be last to disappear since you're the oldest here."

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she dropped to the ground and drew her knees to her chest. "But I don't want to watch everyone fade away. Just the thought of it kills me inside."

"I would be first to go," Catherine murmured lowering her head.

"Don't talk like that!" Takeru lifted her chin and looked in exasperation at the others. "We can't think like that. There has to be-"

"Hope?" Koushiro offered.

"Yeah, hope."

* * *

Shina blinked in bewilderment at the brunette's words. "Are you insane?"

Hikari didn't falter and kept her voice firm. "I'm the one you want revenge on, not them. I'm the one that killed your partner. Not them and therefore this isn't about them. It's me. You want my blood so take it."

"Sacrifice yourself to save everyone else. Typical. But that won't solve anything." Shina scoffed as she began to pace. Suddenly her hair darkened and grew to shoulder length as she became even shorter. Her eyes were now a deep green, which seemed to glow behind her curtain of midnight hair. She seemed to laugh at the black tank top and sapphire blue jeans she now wore. "Gee, I have worn this since I was eleven. And I see you are still going through your pink phase. You know there are other colors out there."

_I'm nine. There isn't much time left._ She thought in warning as she glanced down at her pink dress.

* * *

"Not again!" Ami wailed as she gripped her dark pigtails and burst into tears. "I don't want to disappear!"

Jyou grimace as he rolled up the sleeves of his polo shirt. "This would be the year after the first time we enter the Digital World…. I mean the first group," he added with a glance towards Miyako and Ken.

Miyako looked sorrowfully at her boyfriend and pushed her glasses back up her nose. "We're running out of time."

"You and the other have a bit more time than Wallace and I have," he replied grimly as he shoved at his shorter hair. "Hopefully it won't come to that."

"The idea of no longer existing kinda sucks," Wallace sighed crossing his arms over his baseball jersey. "I mean it was nice to have the storm go away, but I think I'd rather deal with the storm."

"Yeah, but the reality of it is that if something isn't done soon we'll be losing two Chosen, present company excluded," Miyako urged.

"What do you-"

"Iori and Rosa," Ken nodded solemnly in understanding. "They should be seven now."

"And since we seem to regress in threes, they only have two more regressions left before… they're gone."

Miyako sank to the ground and wrapped her arms around herself. "I feel so helpless and there isn't anything we can do. How do we fight something that isn't even right in front of us?"

Ken said nothing and sat next to her, drawing her towards him comfortingly. He looked at the others and saw the same question reflecting in their own eyes. Deep down he wondered if there even was a way to stop time before it ran out.

* * *

Hikari closed her eyes as she felt time shift around her once again. She was six, in a pink sundress with a matching headband in her short hair. _I have to do something, but what?_ She looked up towards the dark haired eight year old and thought hard. "So we're back to before we even had digimon partners, were you still mad even then?"

Shina flinched as though Hikari had slapped her. The angelic girl looked up at her with wide brown eyes. "I-I don't know."

"Taichi, my brother started really getting into soccer about this time. He really loved soccer and one day tried to teach me to play. It was cold out but I really wanted to play with him, to make him proud because soccer was one of his favorite things to do. Well, I kicked the ball with him for a while even though I was starting to get sick. After that everything is kind of foggy. But I had gotten really sick and almost died. But even after that, I still looked up to him. And even though he became really over protective of me, even now, I still love him." Hikari paused a moment and gave Shina a tiny smile. "The funny thing is that I was scared that he was upset with me because I couldn't kick the ball too well."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because. You have sisters and I know that it's not exactly like having an older brother, but they are still your sisters and a part of you. No matter what happens they can't help but love you, especially if you've been through thick and thin."

"Yeah, right." Shina rolled her eyes and turned away from the small girl. "You're just saying that garbage to see if you can convince me to change my mind, and I won't."

Hikari drew in a breath as they lost three more years. "I've met Tani, your older sister. She dated my brother. They were close and though she didn't talk to him about you and her other sisters, she told me."

"And what did she tell you?"

"She was worried about you. You always locked yourself in your room and picked fights with everyone. She didn't like to see you like that, alone and mad. It made her sad."

"Yeah right. She was just saying that. She didn't care about me."

"Yes she did! People care, you just have to open your eyes. She told me one time you jumped off the swing when you were little but had jumped too far and hit the monkey bars. She was so scared because your head was bleeding and you wouldn't open your eyes. Ami got scared too and so did Akina. Everyone was scared because they thought you had died and they didn't know what they'd do without you. Your mom and dad were scared too. Everyone cried because you didn't wake up for days but you did and that made them happy again."

Shina turned away as she blinked rapidly. "I remember. I broke my collar bone and my arm. Nearly broke my neck. Tani always visited me after school and brought me a new manga to read to me. Akina snuck in junk food and Ami… would tell me what was going on in school and gave me Mr. Hoppity to keep me company while I was in the hospital." She sniffled as she glanced down at her left arm recalling the brightly decorated cast that was once around it. "They threw a huge surprise welcome back party when I got home. There were balloons, streamers, a cake and a huge 'Welcome Home, Shina,' banner." Tears fell from her eyes as she thought back nostalgically. "Akina and Tani both helped me catch up so I didn't have to be held back a year. If it wasn't for them…I would have been."

"See? They really do love you," Hikari whispered. "You can't just think about the bad stuff. Bad things happen but it's the good stuff that we have to remember otherwise everyone would be sad and people are supposed to be happy not sad."

Shina gasped out loud as though something had snapped. She stared at the small girl for a moment and realized that she no longer felt animosity towards her. "Oh God… there has to be some way to fix this." She raced towards Hikari and clasped her tiny hands with her larger ones as she knelt before the girl. "Help me. You have to help. I was wrong and I…. please help me fix this!"

Hikari gazed up at her as her eyes flooded with tears. "But I don't know how."

"Please! There has to be something you can do. We're running out of time." Shina turned her head and looked at the tiny form of a three year old Daisuke still lying motionless from where she had left him. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry," She wept drawing the girl in her arms as she cried. "This is all my fault and if there is something I can do to fix it, I'd do anything. ANYTHING!"

"I don't know what to do. I'm sorry too." The little girl bit her lip as she too cried. "I don't want to lose everyone."

Shina wiped her tears away and rose to her feet. She drew a breath, took one of Hikari's hands and led her towards the crystals. "Let's do what we can. If we concentrate on the crest then maybe we can stop it. Help me."

Hikari looked at the older girl and help out her hands. "No matter what, we'll save everyone even if we die, we'll save them."

"Yeah, lets do this," Shina grinned as she pressed her hands against Hikari's and closed her eyes as the young girl did so. Suddenly a vibrant glow erupted around the two girls swirling with color. One by one the crystals burst spraying the two girls with shards of glass as a violent wind whipped around them, but they refused to budge, pouring everything they had into correcting Shina's mistake before it was too late. Their skin seemed to blister and freeze from the rapidly changing temperatures, yet they squeezed their eyes shut tighter and held back any cry or scream of pain until it seemed unbearable.

Finally weak and completely drained they collapsed with only thoughts of their loved ones on their minds.

* * *

Taichi opened one eye then the other and fell backwards from the weight on his lap. He stared wide-eyed at Iori and gaped in shock. "You're big again!"

The teenaged boy chuckled and shook his head as he climbed off the leader. "So are you. Um, thanks for watching out for me. There's not too much a one year old can do."

Taichi grinned. "Well, I guess you could say I had experience with Hikari. So I guess we're all back to normal?"

Tani smiled as she looked up at the brightly shining sun. "It seems like it."

"It's actually peaceful here," Sora smiled as Yamato enveloped her in his arms. "I wonder what happened."

"I don't know. I have to say that was the oddest storm I have ever been in. All those colors and that wind, it was really weird. But I'm thankful for whatever stopped it before it was too late."

"Me too. I was really afraid I'd disappear and never see anyone of you again. Especially you, Iori," Rosa said as she hugged his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder.

He blushed and nodded. "Yeah. Me too."

"I wonder what do we do now?" Sora looked to the others who shrugged.

"Why don't you follow me," an uncannily familiar voice said from the shadows to everyone's surprise.

* * *

"Is the night club wannabe storm over with?" Mimi glanced around then shrieked as she realized that they were their previous ages once again. "We're back to normal! Well, as normal as we were when we first got here. I don't have to relive anymore of my bad fashion statements!"

Michael laughed as she threw her arms around him in glee. "I'm just glad that we aren't going to be erased or whatever."

"I think we all agree on that one," Koushiro smiled.

Akina sighed as she leaned against him in exhaustion. "I don't know what happened but I'm glad that's over."

"I don't want to go through that again." Catherine said as she pushed one of her curls from her face. "I'd rather deal with the avalanche."

"Well, we're all alive, so this has to be a good thing," Takeru smiled. "And if we're alive then the others should be too, right?"

"Unless the D-terminals start working, we won't actually know," Koushiro replied shaking his head.

"There is that."

A voice behind them chuckled prompting the six startled Chosen to turn around and gape at the figure. "Or you could come with me and find out what is really going on."

* * *

"We're alive? The strange storm didn't kill us?" Ami shoved her tangled hair from her face then gaped at the size of her hands. "I'm not a kid anymore! I'm….still twenty. Wait, I'm supposed to be twenty-three."

"Better than being stuck at five or younger," Miyako snickered, relieved that things were finally calm once again. "I hope the others made it."

Ken nodded squeezing her hand reassuringly. "At the last regression Iori and Rosa would have been one so as long as they were losing years at the same rate we were…. They should be okay."

"I think I'd rather relive my childhood through pictures, not actually being that age again," Wallace nodded heavily as though exhausted. "I 'd rather forget about my Power Rangers phase and never have to remember that ever again."

"Too much TV isn't good for you anyway," Jyou laughed shaking his head at the disgruntled blonde.

"There wasn't much to do when growing up."

Ami clasped her hands behind her back as she look up and sighed. "I wish we knew what we're supposed to do now. The storm is gone for good and we are back to being the ages that we had started out with."

"Stating the obvious, but you do have a point," Miyako nodded.

"How about I grant your wish? All you have to do is come with me," a bemused voice said from the distance to the amazed Chosen.

Wallace blinked several times and drew a hand over his eyes. "Why am I even surprised?" He shook his head and led the others towards a grouping of trees. "All I have to say is you better have some good answers."

* * *

"Hikari…. Hey, Hikari. Wake up."

A soft moan escaped her lips as she squeezed her eyes shut tighter moving her head away as a hand lightly slapped her face again.

"You really are alive," the voice gasped.

Hikari opened her eyes and found herself staring into Daisuke's wide hope-filled eyes. "Daisuke? You're alive!" She threw her arms around him as she cried into his chest. "I thought you were dead. You weren't moving for so long and I…. I was afraid that I'd never see you again."

He wrapped his arms around her and stroked the back of her head. "Yeah I was afraid I had lost you too. I woke up and you and that other girl were unconscious. I thought you killed each other or something-"

"Shina!" Hikari quickly pulled away and turned around to find her former nemesis lying very still. She slapped the young woman's face sharply. "Shina! Wake up! Please wake up. You can make things better just open your eyes."

"Hikari…" Daisuke touched her shoulder as tears slid down her cheeks.

"She's not as bad as you may think. She was misled and hurt and she can't be dead! If it wasn't for her we would have faded from existence."

Daisuke looked at the other young woman and pulled Hikari to him, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Why do I keep losing people?" She froze at her words and pushed away feeling guilty. "How is your mom?"

"She's in remission again….she –she relapsed after you had left, I mean after you had moved but…. Wait. You remember?"

"Everything, and I still love you, Daisuke. More than anything."

He stared at her a moment then smiled. "I still love you too, Hikari. Always have."

"And I'd still love to be able to get some sleep without you two lovebirds crooning. Oh God, I feel like I have hangover…"

"Shina!" Hikari spun around gave a tearful smile to the young woman.

Shina groaned as she rubbed at her face with elbow length teal gloves covered hands. Her eyes were once again sapphire and her hair was choppy in a deep shade of violet. She wore a short teal tank top over a longer royal purple t shirt that barely reached her belly. Over that was a sleeveless black duster that almost reached her ankles with matching pants and combat boots. She looked up at Hikari and laughed. "I can't be mad at you anymore. You're just too cute like a little faery. Not as short as Ami though. I think you might actually have a few inches on her." Without another word she gave the Chosen of Light a hug as Daisuke stared in shock at them.

"Um, did I miss something?" He scratched his head wondering when they had all of a sudden become friends.

Hikari laughed and grabbed his hand. "Daisuke, meet Asukai Shina, one of Tani's younger sisters. Shina, meet Motomiya Daisuke… my boyfriend."

Shina gave the teenaged boy a playful punch to the arm. "Even though I have only met Hikari for a short time I have to say that if you EVER hurt her, not only are you going to have to worry about her brother kicking your ass but me as well!" She grabbed him by the collar of the shirt and shook him a bit to drive in the point.

"YES MA'AM!" Daisuke drew in several deep breaths once the young woman released him and sent his girlfriend a look. "You and your family and friends. Speaking of kicking some ass, I think Nitoni deserves my shoe up his, what do you say, Shina?"

"Dai! That won't be necessary!" Hikari grabbed onto his arm and pulled hard.

"If you three are done, I believe there are some people that are very eager to see you again," a voice said from the corner of the room.

Daisuke's eyes widen in bewilderment. "Hey! It's Gennai! What are you doing here?"

"Wait, we can't go yet…. We have to stop-" Shina began be she was interrupted.

"They're already gone, Shina. Now if you'll come with me. I believe we have much to discuss," Gennai replied firmly.

The three Chosen exchanged glances and followed their long time guide through a swirling portal.

* * *

Tani frowned as they stepped into a dark desolate field. The sky was dim and the place looked void of all life. "Where are we?"

"I think I'd prefer to stay where we were," Rosa whispered stepping closer to Iori. "This place gives me the chills."

Taichi nodded slowly and glanced towards Yamato and Sora. "Yeah, but there is something familiar about it. Plus how did Gennai get young again?"

Yamato agreed. "I don't know the answer to that but I do have a really bad feeling."

"Um, is there a door number two anywhere?"

Sora spun around and cried out in joy. "Michael! Mimi! Koushiro! Takeru! You're all here!"

"Sora!" Mimi raced towards her best friend and threw her arms around her. "I'm so glad to see that you're okay!"

"Me too! I'm engaged."

"WHAT?!" Mimi froze then looked at Sora and squealed. "I get to be a bride's maid!" She jumped happily up and down as she hugged her best friend even tighter. "I'm so happy for you!"

Takeru tripped as he overheard the two now sobbing girls. "What? Ya-Ya.. .You-you… She- you…WEDDING?!"

Catherine grabbed onto his arm to keep him steady and smiled. "We're so happy for you both. I'm sure it'll be a beautiful wedding."

"Ye-yeah."

Yamato laughed at his little brother's shocked expression and ruffled his blonde hair. "Give it time. But I see you two are back together. I wish you two the best."

"I- We-- aren't getting married!" Takeru paused then turned to Catherine with a concerned look on his face. "Are we?!"

She blushed deep red and brought a hand to her face in embarrassment. "Um, lets give it a few years. I don't think either of us are ready for that, " she replied meekly.

"Is anyone else getting married that I should know about before I pass out from shock?"

"Who's getting married?" Miyako glanced inquiringly at the group of Chosen as she stepped through a different portal. "And what the hell happened here?"

"Yamato asked Sora to marry him!" Mimi cried out to the lavender haired girl who paused in surprise.

"He did?" She squealed loudly and ran towards the bride to be. "Oh wow! This is so incredible!"

"TANI! AKINA!" Ami burst into tears and sprinted towards her siblings.

"Ami!" Tani hugged her sisters as they all cried. "I missed you all so much." She pulled away and gestured towards Taichi. "Ami, Akina, meet my boyfriend, Yagami Taichi. Taichi, these are my sisters."

Taichi grinned at the two girls. "Nice to meet you."

Akina's jaw dropped. "Wait, you didn't tell us you had a boyfriend. But I guess that's okay because this is my boyfriend." She grabbed Koushiro by the sleeve and yanked him over.

Taichi laughed at the sight of the red haired computer whiz's face turning as bright as his hair. "So, you really did have a girlfriend and I was seeing her older sister."

"Yeah, small world," he chuckled weakly.

Miyako grinned at Takeru and elbowed him. "So are you two back together again?"

"Yeah, I don't think I'd have it any other way," he smiled. "Things better between you and Ken? You aren't getting married, are you?"

Ken choked at the question and put his arm around his girlfriend. "Not planning on it at the moment…." He angled a look at Miyako. "If that's okay with you?"

"I'm in no hurry."

"And it looks like love must have been in the air," He gestured towards where Rosa stood next to Iori, her arms wrapped around one of his as he chatted with Koushiro. "Looks like her crush on me is long dead."

"Good thing to because I'm not giving up on you without a fight."

Takeru laughed at the couple and scratched his head as he looked at the other Chosen talking enthusiastically at the chance of being reunited.

"Aren't we still missing people," Wallace inquired as he approached them. "I mean this is great and all even though the location sucks but…."

"Daisuke and Hikari aren't here," Ken finished.

Catherine looked fearfully at her friends. "You don't think.."

Takeru squeezed her hand tightly and looked down.

"Where did the party come from and where's our invite?"

Silence fell as everyone turned at the sound of a confused voice. "Did I miss something?" Daisuke looked at the other Chosen then at Hikari.

"Daisuke! Hikari! You're alive!" Ken called out as Miyako laughed and waved at them.

"And you're still a gogglehead!" She flipped one of her braids behind her ear and ran towards them.

A huge grin formed on Taichi face as he spotted his little sister and raced towards her, scooping her in his arms and swung her around. "You wouldn't believe how glad I am to see you here."

"Not half as happy as I am too see you, big brother," she laughed as he put her down. She turned around and smiled at Tani. "I'm glad to see you too. But someone else will be happier. Come on, Shina. It's okay."

"Shina?" Tani gasped as the young woman awkwardly exited the portal.

"Hi everyone." Shina gave them a small wave then dropped her hand. "I'm sorry. Things got out of hand and I wanted to tell everyone I was sorry. I'll just go now…"

"Shina!" Tani took a few steps forward and paused. "Please don't shut us out again. "Please."

Shina looked from one sister to the next and bit her lip as she bowed her head. "What the hell." She raced towards them and hugged them tightly as they sobbed in each other's arms. "I was so stupid, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

It was not entirely your fault, Shina as Hikari had said." Gennai approached the group of Chosen and nodded at them. He withdrew a wooden box from his robes and opened it. Multi-colored lights flew through the air and towards the possessor of it's chosen color, illuminating each Chosen's tag. "Courage, Friendship, Love, Purity, Knowledge, Faith, Hope, Light, Harmony, Time, Darkness, Sympathy, Kindness, Miracles, Fate, Truth, Dreams, Justice, Spirit, and Strength. Each of you has one of these qualities that make you a Chosen and therefore you once again are tasked with yet another challenge as the new Guardians of the Digital World."

"Guardians?" Taichi questioned. "But what about the other Chosen? Do you mean we are the only ones left?"

"The other Chosen are no more. Their memories of the Digital World as well as anyone outside of you who stand before me are no more. If you chose to accept the task the future you, Taichi and you, Daisuke had seen will be no longer exist for there are consequences to changing time. You can either go back to the reality you had left, or take the journey as you are but return to a reality that is altered from the one that you had previously lived in."

"Does that mean we would stay the same age we are now?" Sora glanced thoughtfully at the guide who nodded gravely. "Well, at least we'd have a fresher start."

Daisuke stepped forward. "Does this task include finding the digimon?"

"Yes it does. This ruin you are standing in is what is left of the Digital World. Without the digimon the world has deteriorated. You were all in what is known to be the garbage file, where obsolete data of the world was dumped."

"We were in the garbage?" Mimi gaped and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ew, now I need a bath!"

"You smell fine, Mimi," Michael laughed as he squeezed her shoulder.

"So where are the digimon?" Hikari inquired.

"In a world like no other. I will grant you a few tools to use during your journey but the rest is up to you if you wish to go to retrieve them."

Taichi ran a hand through his hair and readjusted his goggles. "I'm game. What's another adventure if it means I can see Agumon again."

Tani took his hand and nodded. "Together we can do anything."

"This will not be easy, I will warn you. Those that wished to destroy you through Shina's actions may be present, but without your aid, all will be lost to the Digital World," Gennai said firmly.

"We're Chosen and therefore its up to us to save the Digital World. I don't think there is a person among us that will protest in saving it at all costs," Daisuke said firmly. The other Chosen chorused their agreements.

"Very well." Gennai waved his hand and a portal appeared before them. "Its all up to you. May you be victorious."

One by the Chosen left through the portal, unaware of what challenges they may face but knew in their hearts as long as they worked together everything would be okay.

* * *

Author's Notes: And so Void's Assault comes to an end. This chapter was stuck for so long I didn't know how long I'd have to wait for it all to come together. Ironically enough, the last half fell into place New Years Eve and New Years Day. And now it's officially my longest chapter.

The next half to this series, yes series, will be out in about a month. I have to create the world they are entering still and want to make sure I have what I need before I even try to jump into writing it. There are a lot of loose ends, some of which may be tied up next, others, which may have to wait until the following parts.

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. I hope you enjoyed the first half of Diminished Light and look forward to sharing the next half of it in Diminished Light: Chosens' Quest.


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